
No. 9113 



1 1 



WBa 



m 



mama 






: - :,^i-'i..,,i >**>'■ ■ 









^ 



5> <o 



-Z-- 








_ _ . vA;#/^#/\#/V; 
















W 























- %«** -life- v* 








A. 




-^ " A \' ... <^ *'•••'' A 6V ... ^ '^'"^ <* *^."' 5 .0 




^°^ 




/^^^°o 










^^ ^. 















■^ 












'o^ 




^0* 



8^°^ 



"^6. * 

- e H o ■ V %> 




-J. - * « » <w ■>-i. 


















^' 








C v ♦ 





0^ »!••* ^> 















^\ 








Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations/1987 



Evaluation of Selected Lode Gold 
Deposits in the Chugach National 
Forest, Alaska 

By Robert B. Hoekzema, Steven A. Fechner, and Joseph M. Kurtak 




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



Information Circular 9113 

/Evaluation of Selected Lode Gold 
Deposits in the Chugach National 
Forest, Alaska 

By Robert B. Hoekzema, Steven A. Fechner, and Joseph M. Kurtak 




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary 

BUREAU OF MINES 
Robert C. Horton, Director 



As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has 
responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This 
includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish 
and wildlife, preserving the environment and cultural values of our national parks and 
historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. 
The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that 
their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has 
a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who 
live in island territories under U.S. administration. 





Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 



Hoekzema, Robert B. 

Evaluation of selected lode gold deposits in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska. 



(Information circular; 9113) 

Bibliography: p. 56 

Supt. ol' Docs, no.: I 28.27: 

1. Gold ores— Alaska— Chugach National Forest. 2. Chugach National Forest 
(Alaska) I. Fechner, Steven A. II. Kurtak, Joseph M. III. Title. IV. Series: Information 
circular (United States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9113. 



TN295.U4 [TN423.A7] 622 s [553.4'1'097983] 86-600229 



CONTENTS 



4 

Page 

Abstract 1 

Introduction 2 

Location and land status 2 

Previous studies 2 

Non-Bureau studies 4 

Bureau studies 4 

Acknowledgments 5 

Geologic setting 5 

Valdez Group 5 

Orca Group 5 

Younger Tertiary rocks 5 

Tertiary plutons 5 

Structure 5 

Folding 7 

Faulting 7 

Mineralization 7 

Mining history, production, and reserves 10 

Mine feasibility study 11 

Lode gold deposits 11 

Valdez area 11 

Cliff Mine 11 

Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 14 

Gold King Mine 15 

Donohue prospect 17 

Port Wells area 19 

Granite Mine 19 



Page 

Mineral King Mine 23 

Culross Mine 24 

Portage Mine 25 

Moose Pass area 28 

Primrose Mine 28 

Crown Point Mine 30 

Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek Mines 32 

East Point Mine 36 

Summit Lake-Palmer Creek area 37 

Gilpatrick Mine 37 

Summit Vein prospect 40 

Heaston-Oracle Mine 41 

Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine 43 

Nearhouse Mine 46 

Mineralized dikes 49 

Gilpatrick dike 49 

Palmer Creek dike 49 

Girdwood area 49 

Monarch Mine 49 

Jewel Mine 53 

Summary and recommendations 55 

References 56 

Appendix.— Quantitative analyses of samples from 
selected mineral deposits in Chugach National 

Forest area 58 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



1. Location of CNF 2 

2. Land status within CNF 3 

3. Geologic map of CNF 6 

4. Type 1 fold in Valdez Group flysch 7 

5. Hirshey-Lucky Strike vein exposed in 3,400-ft level 8 

6. Locations of areas in CNF with concentrations of lode gold deposits 12 

7. Locations of important lode gold deposits in Valdez area 13 

Sample location map for— 

8. 3,750-ft level of Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 15 

9. 3,210-ft level of Gold King Mine 16 

10. 2,610-ft level of Donohue prospect 18 

11. Locations of important lode gold deposits in Port Wells area 20 

12. Normal axonometric projection of accessible levels in Granite Mine 21 

Sample location map for— 

13. 350-ft level of Granite Mine 22 

14. Mineral King Mine 24 

15. 190-ft level of Culross Mine 26 

16. 1,550-ft level of Portage Mine 27 

17. Locations of important lode gold deposits in Moose Pass area 29 

Sample location map for— 

18. Crown Point Mine except for 4,320-ft level 31 

19. 4,320-ft level of Crown Point Mine 33 

20. Map of Falls Creek Mine workings 34 

21. Sample location map for Skeen-Lechner Mine 35 

22. Locations of important lode gold deposits in Summit Lake-Palmer Creek area 38 



IV 

Sample location map for— 

23. Gilpatrick Mine and Summit Vein prospect 39 

24. Upper level of Gilpatrick Dike Mine 41 

25. Oracle Mine 42 

26. Map of Oracle Mine workings 44 

Sample location map for— 

27. Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine 47 

28. Nearhouse Mine 48 

29. Locations of important lode gold deposits in Girdwood area 50 

Sample location map for— 

30. Monarch Mine 52 

31. 3,500-ft level of Monarch Mine 53 

32. Jewel Mine 54 



TABLES 

1. Summary of mineral development potential ratings for selected deposits in and near CNF 4 

2. Production from main lode gold deposits in and near CNF 10 

3. Identified resource estimates for deposits located in and near CNF 10 

Recorded gold-silver production from: 

4. Cliff Mine 13 

5. Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 14 

6. Granite Mine 21 

7. Mineral King Mine 23 

8. Crown Point Mine 30 

9. Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek Mines 33 

10. East Point Mine 36 

11. Gilpatrick Mine 37 

12. Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine 45 

13. Monarch and Jewel Mines 50 



UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT 

d/yr day per year oz/st ounce per short ton 

ft foot oz/yd 3 ounce per cubic yard 

ft 3 cubic foot pet percent 

ft 3 /s cubic foot per second PP m part per million 

hp horsepower st short ton 

in inch st/d short ton per day 

lb pound st/h short ton per hour 

m.y. million years yd 3 cubic yard 

oz ounce yr year 



EVALUATION OF SELECTED LODE GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE 
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST, ALASKA 



By Robert B. Hoekzema, 1 Steven A. Fechner, 2 and Joseph M. Kurtak 2 



ABSTRACT 



This Bureau of Mines report describes the history, characteristics, distribution, and 
mineral development potential of 21 lode gold deposits in or near the Chugach National 
Forest (CNF), AK. It includes findings from a 4-yr (1979 to 1982) mineral evaluation 
of the CNF conducted by the Bureau and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This 
evaluation, undertaken to provide the U.S. Forest Service with mineral resource data 
for use in making decisions on land use, included site-specific mapping and sampling 
of more than 200 lode gold deposits. The data presented here were compiled from the 
findings of this 4-yr evaluation and from existing literature. 

Fourteen of the 21 lode gold deposits described in this report contain a combined 
identified resource of 117,750 short tons (st) averaging 0.55 oz/st Au and 0.2 oz/st Ag. 
Two mineralized felsic dikes in the Summit Lake-Palmer Creek area contain a combined 
identified resource of 18 million st grading 0.02 oz/st Au and 0.16 oz/st Ag. Identified 
resources were not determined for the remaining five deposits because of a lack of 
information. 



'Supervisory physical scientist. 
^Physical scientist. 
Alaska Field Operations Center, Bureau of Mines, Anchorage, AK. 



INTRODUCTION 



A mineral resource investigation of the CNF was con- 
ducted by an interagency team of Bureau of Mines and 
USGS researchers. The purpose of the study was to provide 
U.S. Forest Service planners with mineral resource infor- 
mation they could use in making decisions on land-use 
classification. This investigation, initiated under the 
Roadless Area Review and Evaluation II (RARE II) pro- 
gram, started in 1979 and was completed in 1982. The 
USGS compiled and evaluated data on the regional geology, 
geochemistry, and geophysics. The Bureau compiled and 
evaluated data on mines, prospects, mineral occurrences, 
and areas of mineralization, to identify mineral resources 
and determine mineral development potential. The data col- 
lected by the Bureau are summarized in a previous Bureau 
report (18). a A joint USGS-Bureau summary report, pub- 
lished by the USGS as MF-1645A (35) describes the geology, 
geophysics, geochemistry, and mineral resource potential 
of the study area. Other Bureau reports discuss the critical 
and strategic mineral development potential (15); placer (12, 
14, 18), manganese (25), and molybdenum deposits (16); and 
results of sampling (17, 28) in the CNF. 

This report discusses the distribution, characteristics, 
and mineral development potential of 21 significant lode 
gold deposits in the CNF. It also presents recommendations 
concerning additional examinations and other predevelop- 
ment work considered necessary either to realize the poten- 
tial of these deposits or to provide the basis for assessments 

^Italic numbers in parentheses refer to items in the list of references 
preceding the appendix. 



Borro 



that cannot be made with existing information. However, 
such additional work is not currently planned by the 
Bureau. 

Lode gold deposits were identified in the CNF in the 
late 1800's, on the Kenai Peninsula, where about 26,700 
oz Au was produced from lode mines in the Moose Pass, 
Summit Lake, and Girdwood areas between 1899 and the 
mid-1950's. Additional production came from the Cliff Mine 
(51,740 oz) near Valdez and the Granite Mine (24,440 oz) 
on Port Wells. 

LOCATION AND LAND STATUS 

The CNF is located in south-central Alaska and is ap- 
proximately 5.9 million acres in size (fig. 1). Federal, State, 
city, and private land holdings (including Native regional 
corporation selections) are present within the area studied. 
The CNF boundaries and land status are shown on figure 
2. Much of the CNF is open to mineral entry; however, 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and/or U.S. Forest 
Service land status records should be consulted prior to stak- 
ing claims. The BLM mining claim report dated October 
19, 1984 (68), indicated 2,420 placer and 667 lode claims 
in the CNF. 

PREVIOUS STUDIES 

Published work on CNF mineral resources includes 
reports by the USGS, private companies, the State of 
Alaska, universities, and the Bureau of Mines. 



% 



«;&>£**' 




Chugach National Forest 



Islands c? 



FIGURE 1.— Location of CNF. 




o 

c 



(0 

■o 
c 



CM 
UJ 

a. 

u. 



Non-Bureau Studies 

The earliest reports describing the geology and 
mineralization of the CNF were published by the USGS (3, 
27). Brooks (5) and Johnson( 24) described the lode and 
placer deposits of the Valdez and adjacent area. Johnson 
(21 ) discussed the Port Wells lode gold district. Grant and 
Higgins (13); Johnson (20, 22); Martin, Johnson, and Grant 
(26); Capps (9); Park (37); and Tuck (65) discussed the 
geology and mineral resources on the Kenai Peninsula and 
nearby areas. Barry (2) summarized the history of mining 
on the Kenai Peninsula. Tysdal (66-67) published maps 
showing lode deposits and occurrences and the geology of 
the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles. Case and others 
(10-11) published reports interpreting the gravity and 
aeromagnetic characteristics of the Seward and Blying 
Sound quadrangles. Budnik (6), Mitchell (29), and Pickthorn 
(38) completed theses concerning the geologic history and 
mineralization of the Valdez Group of metamorphosed 
sedimentary rocks. Recently, a combined USGS-Bureau 
report (35) summarizing the mineral resources and geology 
was published. 

Bureau Studies 

The Bureau collected site-specific information on 
mineral deposits for use in determining the mineral develop- 
ment potential of mineral deposits in the CNF. This infor- 
mation was incorporated in reports to the U.S. Forest Ser- 
vice for use in land-use planning. 

The Bureau's contribution to the mineral evaluation of 
the CNF consisted of a literature search and site-specific 
field work which included mapping and sampling of mines, 
prospects, mineral occurrences, and mineralized areas; 
estimating identified resources; and determining the 
mineral development potential of the examined deposits. 
The Bureau's field work focused on metallic mineralization, 
such as lode gold, copper, and placer gold deposits. 

Pre-field office work and the literature search were in- 
itiated in 1979. Data compilation on mineralization, pro- 
duction, and mining history included the review of com- 
monly available literature, exploration or mining company 
files, files at the Technical Data Section of the USGS at 
Menlo Park, CA, records of the Assay Office of the U.S. Mint 
at Seattle, WA, and the Bureau's Minerals Availability 
System (MAS) files in Juneau, AK. Requests for informa- 
tion were made to individuals familiar with the CNF area 
or having historical data. All data were reviewed and 
evaluated to obtain a historical overview. 

Field work in 1979 was mostly of a regional recon- 
naissance nature, with more detailed followup work at 
mineralized areas in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Field work in- 
cluded locating the prospects, mapping accessible workings, 
and identifying and evaluating the extent of mineraliza- 
tion and its geologic setting. In addition to locating mines 
and prospects, the Bureau investigated geochemically 
anomalous areas to determine if unreported zones of 
mineralization were present. Standard sampling procedures 
included the collection of continuous-chip and random-chip 
samples. Samples were quantitatively analyzed using fire 
assay (FA) and atomic absorption (AA) techniques. Sample 
data in this report are listed in parts per million (ppm^ for 
AA analyses and ounces per short ton (oz/st)for FA anal - 
yses. Bureau data were used to prepare a report concern- 
ing the feasibility of gold and copper mining (52) and to 
estimate the development potential of mineral deposits 
in the CNF (18). 



The scope of the mineral assessment was not uniform 
across the study area. Differences were due to the amount 
of historical data available, access, topography, surface 
cover, and the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation 
Act's (ANILCA) revision of the study area (CNF) boun- 
daries. The evaluation was most complete in areas of 
historic mining activity and weakest in the eastern part 
of the study area, especially for the College Fiord and Rude- 
Copper River ANILCA additions to the CNF made in 
December 1980. The new additions included mostly areas 
of relatively inaccessible, largely ice-covered land with few 
reported mineral occurrences. Mineral resources in these 
areas may have been bypassed or overlooked at the time 
of peak exploration activity because of ice cover, location, 
and access problems. 

Identified resource estimates were made for deposits for 
which sufficient data were available. These estimates were 
made by multiplying the known strike length of mineraliza- 
tion by the average thickness by the known depth or by one- 
half the strike length (for unknown depth), to determine 
volume in cubic feet. The volume was divided by a tonnage 
factor ranging from 11.7 to 12, depending upon estimated 
specific gravity, to determine the tonnage, in short tons, 
of resource present. 

Jansons, Hoekzema, Kurtak, and Fechner (18) have 
described all known mines, prospects, and occurrences in 
the CNF and rated the mineral development potential of 
each using one of four levels: "high," "moderate," "low," 
or "unknown." These ratings were based on an evaluation 
of mineral values, distribution of mineralization, and 
geologic and geochemical factors. 

A deposit of "high" mineral development potential 
would, by definition, have high values and probable con- 
tinuity of mineralization. A deposit of "moderate" mineral 
development potential might have high metal contents, but 
the mineralization might be distributed discontinuously in 
and along structures. A deposit with "low" mineral develop- 
ment potential would contain uneconomic values and/or 
show little evidence of continuity of mineralization. For ex- 
ample, quartz veins averaging less than 1 ft thick with 
grades below 0.1 oz/st Au would rank as low. Similarly, 
mineralized narrow fractures a few inches wide and/or ex- 
tending laterally up to several tens of feet, with no evidence 
of continuity, would rank as low. Table 1 summarizes the 
mineral development potential ratings for the deposits 
described in this report. 



Table 1.— Summary of mineral development potential ratings 
for selected deposits in and near CNF 

Deposit" 1 Rating 

Cliff Mine High. 

Ramsay-Rutherford Mine High(?) 

Gold King Mine Unknown 

Donohue prospect High. 

Granite Mine Moderate. 

Mineral King Mine Do. 

Culross Mine Do. 

Portage Mine Do. 

Primrose Mine High 

Crown Point Mine Do. 

Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek Mines Do. 

East Point Mine Do. 

Gilpatrick Mine Do. 

Summit Vein prospect Do. 

Heaston-Oracle Mine Do. 

Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine Do. 

Nearhouse Mine Moderate. 

Gilpatrick dike Low to moderate 

Palmer Creek dike Do. 

Monarch Mine High 

Jewel Mine Do. 

1 ln order of discussion in this report. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Th<* authors thank Dr. Miles Silberman, USGS 
geologist, Denver, CO, who assisted Bureau personnel in 
collecting samples and data and provided information 
necessary for understanding the genesis of mineral deposits 
within the CNF. Thanks are also expressed to Philip Burna, 
habitat biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and 
Game, Anchorage, AK, and Peter Paranese, chief of opera- 
tions, Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation, Anchorage, 



who supplied permits for sampling within the CNF and ad- 
jacent areas. Numerous miners cooperated with the Bureau 
by supplying considerable information and advice concern- 
ing lode gold deposits. Thanks are especially expressed to 
the following: Edward Ellis, Crescent Creek miner; George 
Zimmer, Milo Flothe, and Robert Kelley, Quartz Creek 
miners; Patrick Bogan, East Point Mine owner; and Marvin 
Self, Mills Creek miner. 



GEOLOGIC SETTING 



The majority of the CNF is underlain by tightly folded 
and extensively faulted metamorphic rocks of the 
Cretaceous Valdez and Eocene Orca Groups. Younger Ter- 
tiary sedimentary rocks are exposed in the easternmost por- 
tion of the CNF, and Tertiary plutons are scattered 
throughout. The general geology of the CNF is shown in 
figure 3. 



VALDEZ GROUP 

The Valdez Group crops out in the western and northern 
portions of the CNF as an arcuate-shape band of rocks con- 
sisting mostly of a slightly metamorphosed, steeply dipping, 
marine clastic (flysch) sequence. Turbidites composed of well 
indurated, rhythmically interbedded sandstone, siltstone, 
and argillite with minor pebble conglomerate are the most 
common Valdez Group lithologies. Interbedded sediments, 
tuffs, and pillow basalts occur north and east of Cordova; 
and basalt sills and sheeted dikes, gabbro, and serpentinized 
dunite occur on the Resurrection Peninsula. An excellent 
summary of the petrography of the Valdez Group sand- 
stones is given by Dumoulin in Winkler, Miller, Hoekzema, 
and Dumoulin (69). Most Valdez Group sandstone is com- 
positionally a graywacke (i.e., the percentage of lithic grains 
is greater than the percentage of feldspar grains) but is not 
texturally a graywacke (matrix less than 15 pet). Lithic 
clasts are predominantly volcanic in origin and of andesitic 
composition (31, 70). Most of the lode gold production came 
from deposits hosted by Valdez Group rocks. Plafker, Jones, 
and Pessagno (39) speculate that these rocks accreted to the 
southern Alaska mainland during the late Cretaceous and 
early Tertiary periods. 



ORCA GROUP 

The Orca Group crops out in the central portion of the 
CNF as an arcuate-shape band of rocks located immediately 
east and south of the contact fault that separates it from 
the Valdez Group (fig. 3). These rocks are similar in ap- 
pearance and composition to those of the Valdez Group but 
tend to contain a greater proportion of mafic volcanics. The 
Orca Group hosts a few widely scattered lode gold deposits, 
but only two of these have produced, and their production 
was small. Plafker, Jones and Pessagno (39) speculate that 
these rocks accreted to the southern Alaska mainland dur- 
ing the Paleogene. 



YOUNGER TERTIARY ROCKS 

Tertiary rocks, younger than the Orca Group, are pres- 
ent at Kayak Island and areas east of the Ragged Moun- 
tains. Younger rocks consist of unmetamorphosed siltstones, 
claystones, shales, sandstones, and basalt. The younger Ter- 
tiary strata include the Yakataga, Redwood, Poul Creek, 
Tokun, Kulthieth, and Stillwater Formations, plus undi- 
vided sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were deposited 
on the Orca Group and its associated plutonic rocks during 
periods of marine transgression and regression (39). 

The younger Tertiary sedimentary rocks contain known 
deposits of subbituminous coal, oil, and gas. However, re- 
cent exploration has not located commercial deposits of 
hydrocarbons. 



TERTIARY PLUTONS 

Tertiary plutonic rocks were emplaced during two main 
and one minor intrusive episodes (35). On the basis of 
potassium argon dating, major episodes occurred at 50 to 
53 m.y. and 34 to 36 m.y. (35). Older plutons are generally 
medium-grained biotite and/or hornblende-biotite granite. 
Younger plutons, which occur in the western portion of the 
CNF along the Orca- Valdez Group contact, have multiple 
phases and vary widely in composition from granite to gab- 
bro. A minor episode of plutonism is represented by a 6-m.y.- 
old dacitic plug at the southern tip of Kayak Island (35). 

Lode gold mineralization in Valdez Group rocks is 
associated spatially with Tertiary plutons at many locations 
in the CNF. Streams draining these areas characteristically 
contain gold-bearing gravels, and one, Crow Creek, near 
Girdwood, has been a significant placer gold producer. 



STRUCTURE 

Valdez Group rocks are complexly folded and faulted. 
Some coarser grained rocks contain well-preserved 
sedimentary features, but most outcrops display a well- 
developed foliation. Regionally, an obvious parallelism of 
fold axes and faults exists. At least two stages of deforma- 
tion are recognized. 



D 



s > u 



5 o 

> 5 



enoeaeieo 




o 

■^ 
o 

Q. 
<S 

E 
o 
"5> 
o 
o 

0) 

O 

I 
co 

ui 

oc 

o 



Folding 

At least two generations of folding have been 
documented within the Valdez Group. One set (type 1) con- 
sists of regional-scale (isoclinal ?) folding with axial planes 
striking north to northeast and dipping steeply west and 
axes plunging moderately to the north (fig. 4). The second 
set (type 2) has axial planes similar in attitude to those of 
the larger scale folds, but axes plunge steeply and are often 
spatially related to the large regional reverse diagonal-slip 
faults. Mineralized quartz veins locally show evidence of 
occupying the crests of relatively large folds. Mitchell (29) 
discusses folding in the Hope area in some detail. 

Faulting 

Two prominent sets of faults occur in Valdez Group 
rocks. Regionally, the most apparent occur as relatively 



widely spaced (several miles) north-northeast striking, 
steeply west dipping longitudinal faults having reverse ver- 
tical and right lateral horizontal components of movement 
(diagonal-slip faults). The east side of each fault has ap- 
parently moved down and south relative to the west side. 
Examples include the Contact, Port Wells, and Placer River 
faults. Related (?) but much more closely spaced (hundreds 
of feet) parallel faults and shear zones are recognized 
throughout the area. Faults in the second set are older and 
occur as relatively closely spaced (50 to 500 ft) west-to- 
northwest striking, steeply dipping transverse faults. These 
typically have left-lateral horizontal displacements of a few 
feet and vertical displacements of similar magnitude. 
Quartz veins develop along one or both of the fault direc- 
tions in most areas. Mineralized quartz veins are usually 
emplaced along transverse fractures that are typically off- 
set by the northeast striking set of diagonal-slip faults. 




" \ 



FIGURE 4. — Type 1 fold in Valdez Group flysch on north side of Turnagain Arm near Bird Point. 



MINERALIZATION 



Gold occurs in epigenetic quartz-carbonate veins em- 
placed along shear zones and fractures in Valdez Group 
flysch deposits. The veins have been classified into six 
categories, based upon the amount of sulfides present and 
their spatial relationship to intrusives: (1) quartz-carbonate 



veins with variable (less than 3 pet to greater than 10 pet) 
sulfide content associated with small- to medium-size 
granitic stocks, (2) quartz-carbonate veins with low sulfide 
content spatially associated with, but not in contact with, 
felsic dikes, (3) quartz-carbonate veins with low sulfide con- 



tent recementing fractured felsic dikes, (4) quartz-carbonate 
veins with low sulfide content not associated with felsic 
dikes or granitic stocks, (5) quartz-carbonate veins with high 
sulfide content not associated with felsic dikes or granitic 
stocks, and (6) quartz-carbonate veins hosted by Orca Group 
volcanics and flysch. 

Mineralized quartz-carbonate veins are generally vuggy 
and banded in appearance (fig. 5). Bands consist of a bluish 
translucent quartz interlayered with thin carbonaceous- 
appearing bands and a mixture of milky quartz and buff- 
colored carbonate. Accessory sulfides typically include 
arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, stib- 
nite, and molybdenite. Galena, arsenopyrite, and to a lesser 
extent, sphalerite, generally accompany high gold values 
in most veins. Gold occurs as disseminated grains often 
associated with bluish quartz, as intergrowths in sulfides 
such as galena and arsenopyrite, and as smears along frac- 
ture surfaces. The gold is distributed throughout the vein, 
but typically occurs in and along the sheared margins. Trace 
amounts of gold may extend into the wall rock, especially 
where shearing is prevalent. 

The origin of gold-quartz veins is a controversial sub- 
ject among geologists working in the CNF and similar 
graywacke-slate terranes. Numerous investigators have at- 
tempted to relate such deposits to orogenic-related 
magmatic events; others argue that they can be related to 
metamorphic processes. Boyle (4) summarizes the contro- 
versy and concludes the following: 

It is sufficient to state here that some gold-quartz 
veins and other auriferous deposits exhibit a 
spatial relationship to intrusive granitic bodies in 



orogenic zones throughout the world; other gold- 
quartz veins and gold-bearing deposits show no 
such relationship. Nearly all types of epigenetic 
gold deposits, however, are restricted to rocks that 
exhibit a low to moderate degree of metamorphism 
(greenschist to amphibolite facies). One does not 
find epigenetic gold deposits in rocks that do not 
show the effects of considerable recrystallization 
and alteration such as regional propylitization. 
From this fact the logical conclusion seems to 
follow that epigenetic gold deposits in the vicinity 
of intrusive granitic rocks is not fortuitous. The 
reason for this, however, may not be that the 
granitic bodies provided the gold, but that these 
bodies are simply one in a series of products of in- 
tense metamorphism. These bodies also include the 
gold deposits, the gold being derived from piles of 
sedimentary and volcanic rocks and concentrated 
as a result of granitization and later metamorphic 
processes that continued long after the emplace- 
ment, crystallization, and consolidation of 
batholiths, stocks and dykes of granite, granodio- 
rite, etc. 

Mitchell, Silberman, and O'Neill (30) have studied fluid 
inclusions from gold-quartz veins in the Hope area and sug- 
gest that silica, carbon, sulfur, and metals contained in 
unstable volcanic detrital grains within Valdez Group 
sediments were dissolved by circulating meteoric water and 
subsequently deposited in auriferous quartz veins along 
open, predominantly northwest-oriented structures. These 




^m ; -i'. 





FIGURE 5.— Hirshey-Lucky Strike vein exposed in 3,400-ft level. 



deposits are not spatially associated with granitic plutons, 
and it has not been determined whether veins located 
elsewhere in the CNF near and in granitic intrusives, such 
as thoqe at the Granite Mine, can be similarly explained. 
Mineralized veins at the Granite Mine and elsewhere fill 
fractures in the granite, indicating that they postdate the 
intrusions, but additional work will be needed to fully 
understand their genesis. 

Recent work by the USGS suggests that gold-quartz 
veins are regionally restricted to areas of medium 
greenschist facies metamorphic rocks. 

Characteristics of each deposit type are summarized in 
the following sections. 

Quartz-Carbonate Veins With Variable Sulfide Con- 
tent Associated With Small- to Medium-Sized 
Granitic Stocks 

Structure: Veins crosscut regional structure at variable 
angles and are peripheral to locally crosscutting intrusive 
contacts. Generally moderately to steeply dipping. Occur 
along shear zones and fissures. 

Size: Small to medium. 6 to 48 in thick, 200 to 600 ft 
or more long, 150 to 500 ft depth. Identified resources 
usually range from 5,000 to 10,000 st with a maximum of 
50,000 st. 

Grade: Medium to high. Recorded production grades 
range from 0.5 to 0.9 oz/st Au. 

Associated sulfides: Sulfide content ranges from less 
than 1 to 30 pet and includes arsenopyrite, galena, sphal- 
erite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and locally molybde- 
nite and stibnite. 

Metal associations: Gold is fine-grained (less than 0.01 
in). Occurs as disseminated grains and in sulfides. Associ- 
ated with high galena contents. 

Production history: CNF deposits have produced over 
33,000 oz Au and 4,150 oz Ag, mostly from the Granite Mine 
(24,440 oz Au, 2,500 oz Ag). 

Examples: Granite, Portage, Monarch, Jewel, and 
Mineral King Mines. 

Quartz-Carbonate Veins With Low Sulfide Content 
Spatially Associated But Not in Contact With Felsic 
Dikes 

Structure: Steeply dipping veins crosscutting regional 
structure at 30° to 60°. Occur in fissures and along joint 
surfaces. Consistently cut off by faults and often sheared. 

Size: Small. Less than 3 to 48 in thick, 50 to 500 ft long, 
50 to 300 ft depth. Identified resources usually range from 
500 to 1,500 st with a maximum of 15,000 st. 

Grade: High. Recorded production grades range from 
0.7 to 0.9 oz/st Au. Veins sampled commonly averaged 1 
to 2 oz/st Au. 

Associated sulfides: Arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, 
pyrite and chalcopyrite. 

Metal associations: Gold occurs in carbonaceous ribbons 
adjacent to or surrounded by galena, smeared along frac- 
ture surfaces and in vugs. Gold is reported to be plus 60 
mesh in producing mines, but is seldom coarser than plus 
6 mesh. 

Production history: CNF deposits have produced in ex- 
cess of 8,100 oz Au and 5,000 oz Ag from the Summit Lake- 
Hope area. Minor production reported from similar veins 
in the Golden area on the east side of Port Wells. 

Examples: Hirshey-Lucky Strike, Nearhouse, and 
Oracle Mines. 



Quartz-Carbonate Veins With Low Sulfide Content 
Recementing Fractured Felsic Dikes 

Structure: Dikes dip near vertically and strike sub- 
parallel to regional structure. 

Size: Large. 2 to 18 ft thick, 1,000 ft to several miles 
long, unknown depth. Identified resources estimated at 14 
million st, maximum. 

Grade: Low. Less than 0.1 oz/st Au. Quartz veins may 
be locally high grade. 

Associated sulfides: Arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, 
galena, sphalerite, and locally, stibnite and pyrrhotite. 
Arsenopyrite occurs in the dike rock. 

Metal associations: Gold is associated with quartz- 
containing galena and sphalerite. 

Production history: Gilpatrick Mine is the only pro- 
ducer, with 3,545 oz Au, 1,099 oz Ag total. However, pro- 
duction occurred from high-grade quartz veins crosscutting 
or adjacent to the Gilpatrick dike, not the dike itself. 

Examples: Gilpatrick Mine. 

Quartz-Carbonate Veins With Low Sulfide Content 
Not Spatially Associated With Dikes or Stocks 

Structure: Veins usually crosscut regional structure at 
50° to 90°. Dips are 45° to vertical. Occur along shear zones 
offset by faults. 

Size: Small. 6 to 48 in thick, 100 to 450 ft long, 50 to 
250 ft deep. Identified resources of 3,000 to 5,000 st with 
maximum of 14,000 st. 

Grade: High. Production grades of 0.4 to 4.92 oz/st Au 
reported. Veins sampled averaged from 0.4 to 1.6 oz/st Au. 

Associated sulfides: Arsenopyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, 
pyrite, and sphalerite. 

Metal associations: The gold appears to be disseminated 
along vein contacts and along fractures. Gold is mostly fine 
with particles greater than 0.01 in. rare. 

Production history: Several properties had significant 
production totaling about 9,500 oz Au and 1,950 oz Ag. The 
Crown Point Mine was the largest producer, with 3,145 oz 
Au and 639 oz Ag. 

Examples: Crown Point, East Point, Skeen-Lechner, 
Falls Creek, Ramsay-Rutherford, and Gold King Mines. 



Quartz-Carbonate Veins With a High Sulfide Content 
Not Spatially Associated With Dikes or Stocks 

Structure: Veins generally parallel regional structure 
and have steep dips. Occur along well-defined shear zones. 
Mineralization occurs in pods. 

Size: Small. 3 to 36 in thick, 25 to 250 ft long, up to 150 
ft deep. Usually, more than one vein occurs together. Iden- 
tified resources: 750 to 1,050 st/vein. Maximum identified 
resources of 7,000 st/vein 

Grade: High. Production grades of Primrose Mine 
reported to be about 5 oz/st Au. Samples collected from veins 
in the area contained from a trace to 3 oz/st Au. 

Associated sulfides: Arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, 
pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite. 

Metal associations: Ribbon structure, locally well- 
defined. Gold is fine-grained and appears to occur in car- 
bonaceous bands. 

Production history: Production exceeding 52,000 oz Au 
and 8,300 oz Ag. Mostly from the Cliff Mine (51,740 oz Au, 
8,153 oz Ag). Primrose has recorded production of 659 oz 
Au, 138 oz Ag. Reported production exceeded 4,000 oz Au. 



10 



Examples: Cliff and Primrose Mines and Donohue 
prospect. 

Quartz-Carbonate Veins Hosted by Orca Group 
Volcanics 

Structure: Steeply dipping quartz carbonate veins 
hosted by Orca Group volcanics. 

Size: Small. 1 in to 3 ft thick, 410 ft long, up to 200 ft 
deep. Maximum identified resources of 15,000 st. 



Grade: Medium. Samples collected suggest grades do not 
exceed 0.5 oz/st Au. 

Associated sulfides: Galena, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, 
arsenopyrite, and sphalerite. 

Metal associations: Gold appears to be associated with 
galena and sphalerite-rich material. 

Production history: Minor production— 62 oz Au, 53 oz 
Ag. 

Example: Culross Mine. 



MINING HISTORY, PRODUCTION, AND RESERVES 



The earliest recorded attempts to identify mineral 
resources in the CNF were made by Russian explorers in 
the mid-1800's. Peter Doroshin, a mining engineer sent by 
the Russian- American Co., reported finding widespread 
auriferous gravels along the Kenai River system in 1848, 
but was apparently unsuccessful in locating commercial 
quantities of gold (2). Lode gold was explored for and mined 
on a small scale in the Valdez, Port Wells, Kenai Penin- 
sula, and Girdwood areas of the CNF beginning in the late 
1890's. Exploration also occurred at McKinley Lake near 
Cordova, but only minor gold was produced. Production 
from the main lode gold deposits in the CNF is summarized 
in table 2. Total documented lode gold production is about 
132,000 oz. 



Table 2. — Production from main lode gold deposits 
in and near CNF 

Location Recorded produc- 

Mine shown in tion,' oz 

figure— Au Ag 

Cliff 7 51,740 8.153 

Granite 12 24,440 2,492 

Hirshey-Lucky Strike 23 6,094 4.699 

Ramsay-Rutherford 7 5,375 1,194 

Monarch and Jewel 29 4,933 996 

Primrose 18 2 659 138 

Gilpatrick 23 3,545 1 .099 

Crown Point 18 3,145 639 

Mineral King 12 2,783 626 

Gold King 6 1 ,997 1 87 

Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek ... 18 1.851 520 

East Point 18 1 .725 479 

Heaston-Oracle 23 1 .274 256 

Portage Bay 12 490 60 

Nearhouse . , 23 1 02 3 

Culross 12 62 53 

Total 3 -M28.695 20.925 

'From available records. 

2 More than 4,000 oz Au according to Burnette (7). 
3 Totals include production from approximately 25 additional deposits. 
4 See footnote 2; using Burnette's data for the Primrose Mine, total gold pro- 
duction would be more than 132,036 oz. 



Gold deposits in the Valdez area occur to the north of 
and mostly outside the study area. The trend of the deposits 
extends into the CNF, west to and across Columbia Glacier, 
and east of the Cliff Mine along the Lowe and Tasnuna 
Rivers. Little interest was shown in lode gold mining in 
northern Prince William Sound until 1910, when the veins 
at the Cliff Mine, discovered in 1906 at Port Valdez, proved 
to be excellent producers. By 1911, 48 mines and prospects 
were located from Valdez Glacier to Columbia Glacier, a 
distance of about 26 miles. 

Producing properties in the Port Wells area include the 
Granite, Mineral King, and Portage Bay Mines. With the 
exception of the Granite Mine, lode gold prospects consist 



of small, widely scattered, mineralized quartz and quartz- 
carbonate veins. The date of the first lode gold discovery 
in the Port Wells area is not known, but it is likely that 
this discovery had occurred by 1910. 

On Culross Island, two lode gold deposits are present 
south of Culross Bay. Both deposits, the Culross Mine and 
the John Sells prospect, contain gold in quartz-filled 
fissures. Claims were first staked in 1907. By 1950, at least 
895 ft of underground workings existed at the Culross Mine. 

On the Kenai Peninsula, the possibility of gold-bearing 
veins was noted in the Summit Creek area in 1896 (26). Lode 
claims were located on Bear, Palmer, and Sawmill Creeks 
in 1898. Those located in the Falls Creek area were staked 
in 1905, and those near Slate and Summit Creeks were 
staked in 1906. The first notable (but sporadic) production 
in the Falls Creek area occurred in 1911. Over the years, 
gold production has come periodically from the same prop- 
erties. The longest continuous lode gold production on the 
Kenai Peninsula came from the Hirshey-Lucky Strike veins 

Table 3.— Identified resource estimates for deposits 
in and near CNF 

n , Location identified Grade, oz/st 

Deposit shown in , . . 

figure _ resource,' st Au Ag 

QUARTZ VEIN DEPOSITS 

Cliff Mine 7 ND ND ND 

Ramsay-Rutherford 7 ND ND ND 

Gold King Mine : 7 ND ND ND 

Donohue prospect 7 2,500 0.42 0.1 

Granite Mine: 

Ore 12 1,900 .78 e .1 

Tailings 12 30,000 .18 e 02 

Mineral King Mine 12 500 .012 e 002 

Culross Mine 12 9,800 .16 .1 

Portage Mine 12 10,000 6 e .1 

Primrose Mine 18 1,300 1.42 .6 

Crown Point Mine 18 50 2.0 .5 

31,000 .37 .1 
Skeen-Lechner and Falls 

Creek Mines 18 10.000 .82 .3 

East Point Mine 18 3,700 2.35 .5 

Gilpatrick Mine 23 2,000 .89 .65 

Summit Vein prospect 23 3,400 2.4 1.6 

Heaston-Oracle Mine 23 ND ND ND 

Hirshey-Lucky Strike 

Mine 23 2,100 1.25 .65 

Nearhouse Mine 23 6,400 .2 .3 

Monarch Mine 30 ND ND ND 

Jewel Mine 30 3,100 1.75 .75 

Total ~ 1 17,750 .55 .2 

FELSIC DIKE DEPOSITS 

Gilpatrick Dike 23 14,000,000 0.02 0.2 

Palmer Creek Dike 23 4,000,000 .03 .07 

Total 18,000,000 .022 .16 

e Estimate based upon past production records. ND Not determined. 

'Identified resources were calculated using the half-square technique (length 
of known mineralization x width x depth [equal to 1/2 the known length]) 
unless otherwise indicated in report. 



11 



on Palmer Creek. Other producers include the Primrose, 
Skeen-Lechner, East Point, Crown Point, Grant Lake, 
Gilpatrick, Heaston-Oracle, and Ronan and James Mines. 

Auriferous veins were discovered in 1909 near Gird- 
wood, at the headwaters of Crow Creek. Sporadic produc- 
tion occurred from 1926 to 1947. Remains of a small flota- 
tion mill are still present at the Monarch Mine site near 
Crow Pass. 

In the McKinley Lake area, east of Cordova, most of the 
surface trenching and underground work had been com- 
pleted by 1912 (40). Records show gold production there as 
16 oz. Although gold-bearing quartz veins and stockworks 



are present, the gold distribution is erratic, sparse, and 
discontinuous. 

The majority of the lode gold deposits in and near the 
CNF are small, as indicated by past production and iden- 
tified resource estimates made as a part of this study (table 
3). Fourteen deposits contain a total identified resource in 
excess of 117,750 st with a weighted-average grade of 0.55 
oz/st Au and 0.2 oz/st Ag. On the Kenai Peninsula, two 
mineralized felsic dikes collectively contain an identified 
resource of 18 million st with a grade of 0.02 oz/st Au and 
0.16 oz/st Ag. 



MINE FEASIBILITY STUDY 



The Bureau completed a preliminary mine feasibility 
study for a small hypothetical lode gold mine in the CNF 
in 1984 (52). The hypothesized ore body contained 50,000 
st of gold ore and had a 4-ft mining width, which increased 
the extracted tonnage to 100,000 st of material. An 
estimated 70 pet of the gold could be recovered by simple 
gravity-separation techniques. The mine was assumed to 
operate 330 d/yr at 100 st/d and have a mine life of 3 yr. 
Pre-production costs and capital expenditures were 
estimated to be $3,630,700. Based upon these assumptions, 



an underground operation of this type could break even with 
an ore grade of 0.75 oz/st Au and a gold price of $305/oz. 
Based upon information from this study, deposits 
similar in size to the Cliff and Granite Mines could be 
profitably mined under current economic conditions. 
Although no deposits in the CNF are known to contain 
50,000 st of identified resources that are currently 
economically recoverable, the potential exists for locating 
a deposit of this size through detailed site-specific 
exploration. 



LODE GOLD DEPOSITS 



Jansons, Hoekzema, Kurtak, and Fechner (18) have 
summarized information concerning 273 known lode gold 
deposits in the CNF based upon Bureau and USGS RARE 
II studies. Because of their similarities and the relative in- 
significance of most of the deposits, only selected deposits 
having significant gold production (greater than 1,000 oz) 
and/or moderate to high mineral development potential are 
discussed by area in this report. Five areas containing 
recognized concentrations of lode gold deposits in the CNF 
are discussed: the (1) Valdez, (2) Port Wells, (3) Moose Pass, 
(4) Summit Lake-Palmer Creek and (5) Girdwood areas. The 
locations of these areas within the CNF are shown on figure 
6. 

VALDEZ AREA 

Approximately 60 lode gold deposits have been iden- 
tified in the Valdez area. Four of these deposits, the Cliff 
Mine, Ramsay-Rutherford Mine, Gold King Mine, and 
Donohue prospect are discussed in detail. 

Cliff Mine 

The Cliff Mine is at sea level on the north shore of Port 
Valdez east of Shoup Bay (fig. 7). 

History and Production 

The Cliff Mine was originally located and staked by H. 
E. Ellis in 1906 (1). The property was leased to the Cliff Min- 
ing Co. in 1909, which began development work immedi- 
iately and installed a three-stamp mill in 1910 (5). A larger 



six-stamp mill was constructed to replace the three-stamp 
mill in 1911. Production occurred from 1910 to 1918. 
Dewatering of the lower mine levels began in 1920, but 
failed, and only assessment work was done between 1921 
and 1932. A second dewatering effort was attempted in 
1933, but it also failed (54). The mine was reopened in 1936. 
Milling began in 1937 (56) and continued through 1942. The 
mine closed in 1942 in response to Public Law 208 (which 
closed down mining operations not necessary for the war 
effort) and has never reopened. The buildings at the mine 
site were destroyed by tsunami waves resulting from the 
1964 Good Friday earthquake. The claims were patented 
to H. E. Ellis in 1977. The Cliff Mine was the largest pro- 
ducing gold mine in the Prince William Sound area, with 
a recorded production of 51,740 oz Au and 8,153 oz Ag from 
29,695 st of ore (table 4). 

Operating Data 

Workings reported in 1913 totaled 8,000 ft in length (22) 
on 10 levels at elevations ranging from 443 ft above to 332 
ft below sea level. However, considerable development work 
has occurred since that time. Equipment used at the mine 
included a three-stamp mill, a six-stamp mill, amalgama- 
tion plates, six concentrating tables, and three boilers 
capable of generating 200 hp. 

Geologic Setting 

Country rock at the Cliff Mine is predominantly Valdez 
Group gray wacke with interbedded slate. The general strike 
of the country rock is east- west, and dip is steep to the north. 



12 







M 
O 

a 
a> 

■o 

o 

0) 

■o 
o 



c 
a> 
a 
c 
o 
o 

u. 

Z 

o 



UJ 

en 
o 



13 



6I°I5 — 




r: 

V |4T * 






V 1 



•-'4V—' 



l~X4 :,r~:V. .-■*.. -jiUSK-- SJ O "~T~ 

Donahue prospect ^ _ ¥ 

i'^ri^- ° ° 



- 



Ramsay- Rutherford Min& 

I 



\oo o° % 






;©-^° 0«/KK»~0 



o 
o 




«p Cliff Mine 

, • i 

■ "• ■■ii ■ » >-" 

Cnugoch Notional Forest botinaary 

■ 

Base adapted from U.S.GS I 250,000 Valdaz quadrangle 



V. o 



i 



Sf t r FW>- 



Scale, miles 
Contour interval, 200 ft 



LEGEND 
O Known mineral deposit 

• Major deposit discussed in report 



N 



FIGURE 7. — Locations of important lode gold deposits in Valdez area. 



Gold mineralization is present in a linked quartz vein 
system, which-occurs in fissures. The fissures strike mostly 
from N30° to 40 °W and dip from 65 °E to 50 °W. The veins 
dip more steeply below the 300-ft level of the mine. Johnson 
(22) reported that several persistent fissures in the mine 
fork, enclose large lenticular masses of country rock, and 
then reunite along strike without crossing one another. The 
quartz veins are persistent and well-defined in graywacke 
and dispersed in slate country rock. Fissures range from 
6 in to 5 ft thick, and quartz veins within the fissures range 
from a fraction of an inch to 5 ft thick. Moffit (33) stated 
that horizontal displacement of the country rock (less than 
6 ft) is present along the fissures. The quartz veins were 
mined for approximately 1,700 ft along strike, from Port 
Valdez to Shoup Bay (33). 

The vein material consists of a bluish-white quartz with 
minor amounts of calcite, albite, chlorite, and a brownish 
weathering carbonate (22). Veins show rough banding or 
contain vugs that are lined with small quartz crystals. The 
banded ore reportedly contains the highest gold values. 



Table 4.— Recorded gold-silver production from Cliff Mine 





Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 




Au 


Ag 


1910 . . 




4,440 

3,325 

4,676 

7,515 

2,198 

404 

441 

365 

100 

None 

'876 

500 

231 

864 

22,560 

1,200 

None 

Cleanup 


10,745 

7,981 

1 1 ,242 

7,996 

2,339 

919 

1,183 

1,520 

226 

None 

783 

833 

138 

677 

3,459 

1,695 

None 

4 


913 


1911 .. . 




718 


1912 . . . 




2,394 


1913 . . . 




1,601 


1914 . . 




468 


1915 . . . 




68 


1916 




81 


1917 




288 


1918 . . 




40 


1919-36 




None 


1937 . . . 




168 


1 938 . . . 




175 


1 939 . . . 




20 


1 940 . . . 




145 


1941 




713 


1 942 . . 




360 


1943-48 




None 


1949 . . . 




1 


Total . 




329,695 


51,740 


8,153 


1 Also mined: 462 st tailings. 
2 Also mined: 330 st tailings. 


3 Plus 


792 st total tailings. 





14 



Metallic minerals include gold, arsenopyrite, pyrite, and 
galena, with sulfides comprising up to 5 pet of the ore (22). 
Pyrite and arsenopyrite are most abundant as impregna- 
tions of the graywacke country rock. Acicular crystals of 
arsenopyrite are present in the graywacke adjacent to the 
veins. 

Gold is not distributed evenly in the quartz veins, but 
occurs in ore chutes (33). Moffit (33) reported that on the 
550-ft level, gold was present in the quartz and scattered 
along the slickensided surfaces of the vein walls. Brooks 
(5) reported gold values in the gouge, which is present along 
the footwall of the veins. Gold is associated with galena and 
sphalerite, but not with pyrite. 

Moffit (33) hypothesized on the emplacement of the 
quartz veins as follows: 

Vein quartz of more than one generation is 
present in the bedrock and in the ore-bearing vein 
system. The oldest was deposited in the foliation 
and joint planes of the schistose graywacke and is 
not a bearer of gold or other valuable metals. At 
a much later time quartz that makes up the veins 
was deposited. Some of the vein quartz of the ore 
bodies is cut by younger veins and it thus appears 
that the deposition of the vein quartz took place 
at different times or that if it was continuous, new 
sets of fissures were opened from time to time. 

Bureau Work 

Bureau investigators visited the mine in 1979, 1980, and 
1981; however, all the workings were flooded or too 
dangerous to enter, and only a cursory examination was 
performed. A grab sample (915) 4 contained 0.76 ppm Au and 
0.81 ppm Ag (appendix). A pan concentrate sample (916) 
collected from a spit largely composed of tailings from the 
mill contained 40 ppm Au and 7.1 ppm Ag. 

Resource Assessment 

No resource data are available. This property is con- 
sidered by the Bureau to have high mineral development 
potential because of its past production and reported 
presence of continuous gold-bearing quartz veins. Mining 
was halted because of Public Law 208, not because of a lack 
of resources. Mining has not started again because of the 
low price of gold following World War II and high startup 
costs. The known auriferous veins occur below sea level; 
dewatering would be required to expose them in the existing 
mine workings. 

Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 

The Ramsay-Rutherford Mine is on the east side of 
Valdez Glacier at an elevation of 3,500 ft (fig. 7). 

History and Production 

This property was first staked in 1911 by C. A. Ram- 
say and H. J. Rutherford (24). Underground development 
work was begun in 1912 by the Mineral Creek Mining Co. 
(24). Development continued in 1913, with the first produc- 
tion occurring in August 1914 following the installation of 

^Sample numbers, in parentheses, correspond to the sample numbers listed 
in the appendix, which lists analytical data for each sample. The sample 
numbers cited in this report were derived from field records and correspond 
to those used in other Bureau reports on minerals in the CNF. 



a five-stamp mill (24). Development continued through 1917 
and was intermittent through 1925. The largest production 
occurred in 1915, with 2,700 oz Au and 574 oz Ag produced 
from 3,136 st of ore. The Alaska Finley Co. operated the 
mine in 1934, but only minor production occurred (54). Jesse 
Taylor and Edgar Petropov leased the mine in 1935 and 
produced minor amounts of gold through 1939 (55-56). Total 
recorded production was 5,375 oz Au and 1,194 oz Ag from 
5,829 st of ore (table 5). 

Operating Data 

The underground workings consist of four levels: a 50-ft 
level at an elevation of 3,750 ft with 220 ft of drifts and 
caved stopes to the surface; a 100-ft level with 210 ft of drifts 
and caved stopes up to the 50-ft level; a 150-ft level with 
50 ft of caved drifts; and a 300-ft level (mill level) with 770 
ft of crosscut, 540 ft of drifts, a 15-ft winze, and a caved raise 
to the surface. Equipment included a 7- by 9-in Blake-type 
crusher, a five-stamp mill driven by gasoline engines, a 
small electric generator, and a 14- by 9.5- by 4-in straight- 
line direct-connected fuel-oil-driven air compressor. 
Buildings included a bunk house, mess hall, assay office, 
and blacksmith shop, all of which were in poor condition 
in 1982. Figure 8 is a surface map showing the mine's work- 
ings, geology, and a Bureau sample location at the 3,750-ft 
level. 

Geologic Setting 

The country rock consists of Valdez Group graywacke 
with minor interbedded slate. The general strike of the 
rocks is from N40° to 70 °W, and dip is from 70° to 80°NE. 

Gold mineralization occurs in two well-defined quartz 
veins. The main vein is the southernmost vein on the prop- 
erty; it varies in thickness from 1 in to 7 ft, with an average 
thickness of 2 ft. Near the southeastern end of the main 
vein, a short spur vein is visible. The spur vein has an 
average thickness of 1 to 2 ft. Small linked veins are also 
present. The southeastern portion of the main vein strikes 
from N30° to 45 °W and dips 80° to 85°NE. The northern 
portion strikes north-south and dips 70 °W. This vein has 
been traced for 450 ft along strike. A second vein, which 
averages 9 in thick, is exposed approximately 90 ft north 
of the main vein in the mill-level crosscut adit. The vein 
strikes from N45° to 66 °W and dips steeply northeast. 

Mineralization consists of gold-bearing quartz, which 
also contains silver, sulfide minerals, calcite, and siderite. 
Sulfide minerals consist of pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, 
sphalerite, galena, and arsenopyrite. Sulfides occur as 
disseminated grains (less than 1 pet), and are also present 
in massive bunches (23). Solid masses of quartz as well as 
vuggy crystalline varieties are present. 

Table 5.— Recorded gold-silver production 
from Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 



Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 


Au 


Ag 


1914 


668 


575 

2,700 

1,205 

525 

145 

73 

34 

69 

48 

1 


122 


1915 . . 


3,136 


574 


1916 


1,400 


256 


1917 . . 


550 


181 


1 922 


39 


None 


1 925 


10 


21 


1934 


NA 


13 


1935 . . 


NA 


17 


1937 


25 


10 


1939 


1 


None 


Total 


5,829 


5,375 


1,194 



NA Not available. 



15 



Quartz pillar in trench 




Note: Trenches and adits tilled 

with snow to 30 ft below surface, 
depth unknown 



xi836 



Hoist and crusher 



Shaft, depth u 


nknown 


^V^N 


snJ 


Sfc 


BO 


^ 






__ Iron-stained quartz 






breccia-visible sulfides 
,00 






I 
\ Portal el 3.750 ft 



LEGEND 

Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

-~+4ZZl Quartz vein 

ZZZZZZ Sheared quartz vein 

■vrNrcv. Shear zone 

eo 

-*- Strike and dip of foliation 

-*- Strike of vertical foliation 

so 

—— Strike and dip of joints 

-*- Strike of vertical joints 

=< Adit 

GZG Surface tronch 

X1836 Sample site 



Kv 



Kv 



"Quartz breccia 



\ 



FIGURE 8.— Sample location map for 3,750-ft level of Ramsay-Rutherford Mine. 



Bureau Work 

The Bureau examined the property in 1980 and 1981. 
All of the levels were caved. Data for six samples are listed 
in the appendix. A grab sample (1048) from the ore bin in 
the stamp mill contained 2.35 ppm Au and 2.1 ppm Ag. A 
grab sample (1077) taken from a barrel in the assay room 
contained 37.5 ppm Au and 9.5 ppm Ag. A grab sample 
(1836) from the ore dump at the upper workings (fig. 8) con- 
tained 0.07 oz/st Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag. A mill concentrate 
sample (1928) contained 26.1 oz/st Au and 10.1 oz/st Ag. The 
gold recovered from sample 1928 yielded a fineness deter- 
mination of 778 Au and 222 Ag. USGS personnel examined 
the property in 1979 and collected 24 samples in the area 
which contained from 0.05 to 28 ppm Au (38). 

Resource Assessment 

The Bureau was unable to properly assess the resources 
at this deposit because the workings were inaccessible. 
However, several Bureau samples indicate that minable 
grades may be present and that this deposit may have high 
mineral development potential. 

Gold King Mine 

The Gold King Mine in on the east side of Columbia 
Glacier, west of Mount Cameron at an elevation between 
3,210 and 3,650 ft (fig. 7). 



History and Production 

The property was located and staked by Olaf Olsen, 
Frank Gustofson, and Hans Anderson in 1911 (23), who 
mined several hundred pounds of high-grade ore. The Gold 
King Mining Co. took over the mine in 1912 and installed 
a mill the following year (23). Total recorded production was 
1,997 oz Au and 187 oz Ag from 1,560 st of ore during 1914 
to 1916, 1918, and 1922. 



Operating Data 

Three adits were driven to develop the deposit. The 
3,650-ft (No. 1 Tunnel) level is reported (22) to have 500 ft 
of drifts and crosscuts with a 60-ft winze and 90 ft of drift 
(fig. 9) at the bottom (fig. 8). The 3,320-ft (No. 2 Tunnel) level 
has 720 ft of crosscut and 350 ft of drift (fig. 9). The 3,210-ft 
(No. 3 Tunnel) level has a 600-ft crosscut and 55 ft of drift 
(fig 9). Open cuts and stripping occur on the surface. Mill 
equipment included a 6- by 8-in crusher; a 3.5-ft, 6-st mill; 
a 10-st mill; amalgamation plates; and gasoline engines. 



Geologic Setting 

Johnson (24) described the geologic setting in some 
detail: 



16 



LEGEND 
Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 



.so 



Fault, showing dip 



.♦f 5 , , , Quartz vein, showing dip 

. T S Strike and dip of foliation 

— ^ 5 Strike and dip of joints 

- Adit 

X 1903 Sample site 



50 

I 



100 

I 



1901-2 

2-in-wide quartz 
veinlet 



Kv 




Kv 



eo' 
1903' 




A 



5 \ 



70 

4-in-wide quartz veinlet 



Caved 



Kv 



Portal el 3,210 ft 



FIGURE 9.— Sample location map for 3,210-ft level of Gold King Mine. 



17 



The country rock is dominantly massive Valdez 

Group graywacke, containing a few zones, 50 to 

\ 100 feet in width, of thin banded argillites. The 

bedding strikes N65° to 72 °E and dips 62 °N to 

90°. 

Two ore-bearing veins have been developed on 
the Gold King claims— the upper or saddle vein 
(No. 1 Tunnel), on which most of the work has been 
done, and the lower vein (No. 3 Tunnel). Con- 
siderable development work has been done on the 
fissure cut by the long crosscut tunnel but this vein 
is said to have but slight value (No. 2 Tunnel). 

The saddle vein strikes N53° to 60 °W and dips 
50° to 60 °S. The outcrop is about 75 feet in length. 
On the tunnel level the vein was traced 150 feet, 
and 90 feet of drifting is reported on the vein at 
the bottom of the shaft. The westward extension 
of the vein is cut off by a fault which strikes N65 ° 
to 75 °E and dips 70 °S to nearly vertical. The fill- 
ing of the fault fissure ranges from a mere seam 
to 18 inches in width and contains a little quartz, 
a maximum width of 6 inches of quartz being 
observed. On the west side of this fault, about 120 
feet southwest of the main saddle vein, a small vein 
1 inch to 6 inches wide, striking nearly parallel 
to the fault, has been found. The maximum width 
of the saddle vein fissure is 24 inches. The width 
of the contained quartz ranges from 1 inch to 18 
inches but the usual width is from 1 inch to 6 in- 
ches. At one point the quartz occurs as narrow 
stringers in a belt of shattered mineralized 
graywacke 5 feet wide. The vein in many places 
shows secondary banding parallel to the walls. The 
vein has a good footwall but a less well-defined 
hanging wall. The quartz usually breaks free from 
the footwall but shows no gouge. On the hanging 
wall about an inch of gouge is present. 

The fissure cut in the long lower adit (Tunnel No. 
2) is well defined, strikes nearly east, and dips 65 ° 
to 70 °N. The fissure filling crushed country rock 
ranges in width from 4- to 36-inches and contains 
only a few quartz stringers. Most of the fissure fill- 
ing is iron-stained. 

The vein east of the camp buildings is tapped by 
a crosscut adit (Tunnel No. 3) 60 ft long and is 
followed by drifts in both directions for a total 
distance of about 50 ft. A shallow winze was sunk 
on the vein at the point where it was first struck 
by the crosscut tunnel. This vein strikes N55° to 
75 °W and dips 65° to 70 °N. The fissure is well- 
defined, has a width of 1 1/2 to 4 feet, and the con- 
tained quartz varies from 6 to 36 inches in width. 
In one place in the workings a width of 5 ft of 
quartz has been reported. The veins show con- 
siderable secondary banding parallel to the walls 
of the fissure, the hanging wall of which breaks 
free. The footwall carries from 4 to 8 inches of 
gouge, and in places the gouge is visible on both 
walls. 

The ore from this property is a free milling gold 
ore. Quartz is the dominant gangue mineral, 
although calcite and a cream-colored, brown- 
weathering carbonate are also present. The ore 
contains about 3 percent of sulfides which include 
pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and stib- 
nite. The gold occurs native. Pyrite cubes im- 
pregnate the graywacke adjacent to the veins. 



Limonite and the red and yellow alteration prod- 
ucts of antimony-bearing minerals stain the 
weathered outcrops of the vein. 

Bureau Work 

Bureau personnel examined the property in 1981 and 
1982 and collected samples from all three adits. Data for 
eight samples are listed in the appendix. 

The No. 1 Tunnel was blocked by ice approximately 60 
ft from the portal. A grab sample (7932) taken from a 3-in- 
thick quartz vein exposed on the surface contained 45.62 
oz/st Au and 1.0 oz/st Ag. 

The No. 2 tunnel, the drift along the quartz vein (shear 
zone), is caved approximately 200 ft from the main crosscut. 
The shear zone is 1 ft thick and contains small (less than 
6-in-thick) quartz stringers. A 1-ft-long chip sample (1731) 
taken across the shear zone contained 0.09 ppm Au and 0.3 
ppm Ag. Two chip samples (1901 and 1903) from other shear 
zones in the main crosscut contained 0.32 and 3.4 ppm Au 
and 0.2 and 1.3 ppm Ag, respectively. 

The No. 3 Tunnel is caved 55 ft from the portal. No 
quartz veins are present in the adit or on the surface. A 
grab sample (1729) taken of quartz from the dump contained 
180 ppm Au and 60 ppm silver. A chip sample (1730) across 
the fissure exposed on the surface contained 0.31 ppm Au 
and 0.3 ppm Ag. 

Six samples collected by USGS personnel in 1979 con- 
tained gold values that ranged from not detectable to 9.0 
ppm Au (38). 

Resource Assessment 

Lack of access prevented the calculation of resource 
data. High gold values are suggested by production data 
and Bureau sampling. The mineral development potential 
is unknown since no data are available concerning vein 
continuity. 

Donohue Prospect 

The Donohue prospect is on the west side of Valdez 
Glacier, approximately 8 miles from Valdez Arm, at an 
elevation of 2,700 ft (fig. 7). 

History and Production 

This deposit was located by the Valdez Mining Co. in 
1910 (1). Development work was done from 1911 to 1920, 
and some ore was reportedly milled in 1920 (20, 22-23, 57). 
However, only assessment work has been performed since 
that time. No recorded production records exist for this prop- 
erty, but it is likely that minor production occurred. 

Operating Data 

Workings consist of a 470-ft adit at an elevation of 2,610 
ft (fig. 10) and a shorter adit with a 50-ft winze at an eleva- 
tion of 2,860 ft. Equipment remaining at the lower adit in- 
cludes a gasoline engine, a ventilating fan and pipe, rails, 
and an ore cart. 

Geologic Setting 

Country rocks consist of Valdez Group schistose 
graywackes interbedded with argillites. The bedding and 
schistosity strike N83° to 89 °W and dip 75° to 85 °N. The 



18 



Follows a quartz vein 



Quartz ranges from 1/16 to 1/2 in wide 
in ribbon forms, alternates with 
1/16- to 2-in-wide zones of slate 




1786 

Quartz stringers up to 1/4 in wide 



LEGEND 



Cretaceous Valdez Group 

f 6 . . Quartz vein, showing dip (dashed where 

•-■»*• approximate) 

-ojvo- Shear zone 

=c Adit 

, Backfilled adit (broken line where extent 

' t 1 is uncertain) 

X1786 Sample site 



30 

i_ 



60 



Scale, ft 



Portal el 2,610 ft 



FIGURE 10.— Sample location map for 2,61 0-ft level of Donohue prospect. 



19 



mineralized quartz vein strikes N40°W to N80°W and dips 
65° to 80°SW. The vein varies in thickness from 3 to 10.5 
ft and consists of ribbon and massive white quartz. The rib- 
bon quartz ranges from 24 to 50 in thick and generally con- 
tains higher gold values than those found in the massive 
quartz. Sulfides, such as galena and pyrite, occur 
predominantly in the ribbon quartz. Well-developed quartz 
crystals were also noted in the upper workings and in the 
tailings dump. 

Bureau Work 

Bureau investigators examined and sampled the prop- 
erty in 1981. Data for seven Bureau samples and four USGS 
samples are listed in the appendix. The upper adit was not 
mapped, but two chip samples and one grab sample of the 
ore dump were taken. The grab sample (1785) from the ore 
dump contained 1.02 ppm Au and 1.1 ppm Ag. A 1.2-ft-long 
chip sample (1844) contained less than 0.003 oz/st Au and 
less than 0.01 oz/st Ag. A 2-ft-long chip sample (1845) con- 
tained 0.413 oz/st Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag. A 10-ft-wide chip sam- 
ple (500C) collected across the quartz vein by the USGS con- 
tained 13 ppm Au and 3 ppm Ag. 

The lower adit was mapped (fig. 10) and three chip 
samples (1786, 1787, and 1788) were taken. No appreciable 
metal values were present. 

Grab samples (1846 and 500B) were collected from a 
large high-grade quartz boulder. They contained 100.2 oz/st 
Au and 16.9 oz/st Ag and 2,500 ppm Au and 300 ppm Ag, 
respectively. During a return visit to the property in 1982, 
the owner found similar high-grade gold-bearing quartz ex- 
posed on the surface along the footwall of the quartz vein 
above the upper adit. 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 2,500 st containing 0.42 oz/st 
Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag is present in the upper adit (18). Higher 
grades occur locally at the surface. This property has high 
mineral development potential, based upon samples col- 
lected and the potential for minable tonnage existing along 
strike. Further work including sampling, trenching, and 
possibly drilling is warranted to define the size and grade 
of the quartz vein. 



PORT WELLS AREA 

Approximately 65 lode gold occurrences have been iden- 
tified in the Port Wells area. Four of these, the Granite, 
Mineral King, Culross, and Portage Mines, are discussed 
here because of their significant past production and/or 
moderate to high potential for future development. Other 
deposits are summarized in a previous report (18). 

Granite Mine 

The Granite Mine is on the west side of Port Wells at 
an elevation of 700 ft, a short distance inland from the spit 
between Harrison Lagoon and Hobo Bay (fig. 11). 

History and Production 

The Granite Mine was first located by M. L. Tatum and 
Jonathan Erving in 1912 (21), who developed the mine from 
a shaft and shipped 5 st of ore. The Granite Gold Mining 



Co. was incorporated in 1913, and considerable development 
work was performed in 1913 and 1914 (45). On-site milling 
began in 1914 with 7-ft Lane mill (21). The main produc- 
tion period occurred from 1916 to 1922, following the in- 
stallation of a 10-stamp mill in 1915 (57). The El Primero 
Mining and Milling Co. was incorporated in 1923 (45), but 
produced only minor amounts of gold. The mine has had 
several owners since 1930, with minor production recorded 
from 1934 to 1937, 1940 to 1944, and 1963 to 1964. The cur- 
rent owners (1985) were planning to drill on the property 
to determine whether reserves exist in sufficient quantity 
to justify reopening the mine. Total recorded production is 
24,440 oz Au and 2,492 oz Ag from 31,919 st of ore (table 6). 

Operating Data 

The Granite Mine and mill complex includes a mill, 
several buildings above the mill, storage buildings on the 
beach, and several mine levels. A road exists from the beach 
to the camp. The buildings were largely collapsed by the 
time investigators visited the site in 1979. However, the 
stamp mill remains relatively stable. 

Smith (57) summarized the workings and equipment of 
the Granite Mine at the beginning of its peak production 
period (1916-22) as follows: 

The property was originally opened with a 
crosscut to an inclined shaft on the ore, since which 
time a second crosscut has been run on the mill 
level and a raise driven to tap the bottom of the 
shaft. The level was opened on the main vein at 
50, 110, 140, 210, and 350 feet, the mill crosscut 
being 125 feet below the latter. 

The mill is in two parts, ten stamps on one side 
and a 7-foot Lane mill on the other. The ore on the 
stamp side passes through a jaw crusher to the bins 
where it is fed automatically to two Hendy 5-stamp 
batteries, the stamps weighing 1,350 lb each, fall- 
ing 105 times per minute with a 6-1/4-inch drop. 
The ore is crushed to 40-mesh, passed over 
amalgamating plates, and concentrated on Wilfley 
and Deister tables. In the second unit the Lane is 
followed by 14-inch Allis-Chalmers rolls, the pulp 
going over plates to a Wilfley table. The concen- 
trate from both units is shipped and the tailings 
stored. 

The main power plant, situated on the beach, 
contained two 80-horsepower oil-burning boilers 
which furnish steam for an American Ball 
180-horsepower engine. The latter drives a 
160-kilowatt Westinghouse dynamo. The com- 
pressor at the mine has a capacity of 620 cubic feet 
of free air per minute and is driven by a 
100-horsepower motor. Underground, Sullivan and 
Ingersoll-Rand machines are used. 

Machinery and equipment installed under the manage- 
ment of the El Primero Mining and Milling Co., was de- 
scribed by J. C. Roehm in 1936 (45) as follows: 

A new Westinghouse equipped hydroelectric 
power plant that cost $51,000 was installed three 
years ago, a mile north of the property. This in- 
cludes 4,250 feet of pipe line, 20 inches reduced to 
17 inches with a 340 foot head and a 140 pound 
pressure, a 7-foot Pelton wheel for double capac- 
ity, a 150 KVA generator and exciter complete 



20 



~vChit««tft Nottaoot F*r«»i boundary 



■^ - -5'i'lO ^W&%*£ js3& j >iZ0r \wg£fci^Sfe*lK ?\l-, .**•»* Granit*. Mirw 



;>:. 



1 — n^r - 

. J l f lil — - 



'^^^^mso^ p*-?^i5 ^*^ 



.msaii^SIS? 



£l ; t ' /O/ <y 

■ism- s ^^ 

]^fc$mW a TV? iy .6 



/•v 



is&l: 









ii**;/5=i^« 










3»f 



^^^1^4%$^^ 







- "##81 

F 



^-w^sT r^EMM ■ r± s * ! *z^£* i \ "?^v\v u 



**s?*^ 












Veils 








Pa« 



- i-CDinfe, 



a "■■/fe^'^ / s& ■; .X-,. -t £^>g-^ .Tvv /.;....^ 



■tec 






I.3.G.S. I* 230.000 Ancrtorafs a 3*< 



LEGEND 
Known mineral deposit 
Major deposit discussed in report 



FIGURE 1 1 .—Locations of important lode gold deposits in Port Wells area. 



with glass encased automatic and safety 
switches ... A Laidlow-Dunn 18 x 12 x 12 double 
cylinder compressor run by a 100 H.P. 
Westinghouse motor delivers 1,000 cu. feet per 
minute for the mine. The mill machinery consists 
of a Blake crusher with 8" x 10" jaws, run by a 
25 H.P. motor, ten Joshua Hendy 1,050 pound 
stamps run by a 35 H.P. motor, and two Wilfley 
tables run by a 5 H.P. motor. The ore is crushed, 
and fed to stamps with inside amalgamation, 
through 40-mesh screen over three lengths of 
plates and over Wilfley tables. The recovery from 
battery and tables was reported 80 percent average 
and concentrates ran $75 to $100 a ton. These con- 



centrates are shipped to smelter at a freight rate 
cost of $6 to $6.50 per ton in 100 ton lots. An In- 
gersoll Rand steel sharpener No. 50 is used with 
oil burner furnace. Ingersoll Rand leyners No. 75 
are used in the mine. Auxiliary power complete for 
both mill and mine is installed consisting of the 
original power for operation before hydroelectric 
power. This consists of a Chicago Pneumatic single 
No. N-502 semi-diesel compressor that delivers 450 
cubic feet per minute, a 30 H.P. Fairbanks Morse 
horizontal diesel for operating mill, a 6 H.P. V-type 
gas engine for crusher, and a 3 H.P. V-type gas 
engine for lights. 



•* 



21 



Table 6.— Recorded gold-silver production from Granite Mine 



Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 


Au 


Ag 


1914 


3,600 


3,525 

7,052 

4,838 

2,266 

444 

1,224 

1,209 

124 

283 

1,210 

1,233 

275 

62 

28 

262 

79 

23 

17 

282 

3 

1 


NA 


1915 


13,050 


NA 


1916 


10,000 


NA 


1917 


4,250 


185 


1918 


NA 


290 


1921 


NA 


376 


1922 


NA 


372 


1924 


20 


116 


1930 


7 


88 


1934 


NA 


370 


1935 


NA 


410 


1936 


e 150 


85 


1937 


e 50 


18 


1 940 


e 56 


31 


1941 


88 


82 


1942 


100 


20 


1943 


NA 


7 


1944 


40 


4 


1946 


e 500 


36 


1963 


8 


1 


1964 


NA 


1 








Total 


31,919 


24,440 


2,492 


"Estimate. NA Not available. 







Currently, the mine workings are accessible from the 
350-ft level. Stuwe (63) mapped and sampled the accessi- 
ble workings (fig. 12) as part of an unpublished thesis. The 
accessible workings total approximately 3,350 ft on three 
levels. 



Geologic Setting 

A description of the geologic setting was made in 1914 
by Johnson (23): 

The country rock of the ore body consists of in- 
terbedded slates, graywackes, and argillites cut by 
large masses of medium-grained biotite granite, 
hydrothermally altered near the veins to a light- 



gray to greenish-gray rock. The granite contacts 
are said to be irregular. 

The developments suggest the presence of more 
than one lead on the property, but are not suffi- 
ciently advanced to prove it. The vein showing in 
the shaft occupies a fissure striking S75°W and 
dipping 60 °N. In the underground workings con- 
siderable variation in the strike and dip of the vein 
is noticeable in the several drifts. In 1913 obser- 
vations seemed to show that the vein had a general 
strike between N50°W and N70°W and a dip of 
43°-55°N, and it is reported to be offset in many 
places by small faults. The fissure ranges from 3 
inches to 14 feet in width and averages perhaps 
from 3 to 3 x /2 feet. The fissure filling varies with 
the character of the country rock. In the sedimen- 
tary rocks it consists of shattered slate, graywacke, 
and argillite, with quartz veins or a quartz network 
cementing the shattered rocks and inclosing 
angular fragments in a network of porous white 
crystalline quartz. In the granite the vein is 
stronger and better defined, although its widest 
part includes numerous shattered masses of 
altered granite cemented by gold-bearing quartz 
veinlets. 

Roehm (45) described a new vein found in 1936 as 
follows: 

The new vein found this year is a small vein, 4 
to 12-inches in width, averages about 7 inches [and] 
has a developed length of 150 feet. It lies wholly 
within slates between a hundred and a hundred 
fifty feet from contact. It has a strike of N49°W 
and dips 65 °N. This vein is highly banded with free 
walls showing a milky white quartz with 
numerous graphitic bands. Considerable free gold 
is showing. This vein was being mined at the time 
of [Roehm's] visit. The ore was sacked and 
trammed to mill. 



Porlal ll 350 II 
Level el 



Level el 28S It 




LEGEND 



Sloped area 

Adit (broken line where 
extent Is uncertain) 



FIGURE 12. — Normal axonometric projection of accessible levels in Granite Mine. 



22 



Roehm (45) also discussed the mineralization present 
at the property: 

The mineralization consists of pyrite, galena, 
sphalerite, arsenopyrite, stibnite, chalcopyrite, and 
free gold. The gold appears to be associated with 
galena and sphalerite mainly, with smaller 
amounts of pyrite, arsenopyrite, and stibnite. 

The gangue minerals are quartz, calcite, 
graphite, chlorite, pieces of slate in the slate, and 
pieces of granite within the granite. The veins in 
the granite show refilling with large angular pieces 
of wall rock. The movement shows a nearly ver- 
tical upthrust with a strong action that appears 
to be later than the granite. 



Bureau Work 

Bureau personnel visited the Granite Mine on several 
occasions during the RARE II study. Subsurface sample 
locations are shown on figure 13. Samples were also col- 
lected from the dump and tailings area. Results from 23 
samples are tabulated in the appendix. Samples contained 
from 0.02 to 71 ppm Au and less than 0.2 to 26 ppm Ag. 
Generally, the veins appear to have been more extensively 
stoped where hosted by metasediments as opposed to 
granite. However, high gold values were identified in 
samples taken from a granite-hosted portion of the vein 
located at the face of the 350-ft level (5740A). 



A 200-lb sample (7232) of the tailings was collected in 
1982. Splits analyzed by the Bureau and a commercial 
laboratory assayed about 0.18 oz/st Au and 0.02 oz/st Ag. 
The Bureau attempted to recover gold by amalgamation, 
but only 29 pet of the gold was recovered. The commercial 
laboratory performed bottle roll and simulated heap leach 
tests of the tailings. The bottle-roll test indicated that about 
85-pct Au recovery could be obtained by cyanidation. The 
simulated heap leach test recovered 80 pet of the gold after 
7 days. Apparently, amalgamation alone would not be suf- 
ficient to recover gold from the tailings. Much of the gold 
is stained due to oxidation of sulfides in the tailings. 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 1,900 st with a weighted- 
average grade of 0.78 oz/st Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag was 
calculated using a strike length of 150 ft, a thickness of 2 
ft, a depth of 75 ft, and a tonnage factor of 12. Up to 30,000 
st of mill tailings containing 0.18 oz/st of leachable gold was 
also identified. However, the ore material exposed in the 
current workings appears to be nearly exhausted. Based 
upon past mining history and low but persistent gold values 
present in samples collected by the Bureau, additional work 
is warranted, including drilling and surface trenching to 
identify possible vein extensions, and detailed mapping and 
sampling. 

This deposit has moderate mineral development poten- 
tial as a lode mine. The tailings have high mineral develop- 
ment potential. 

LEGEND 



5740 A-B 



Sloped above 



Stoped 
Stoped belo 




Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

Tg Tertiary granitic intrusive 

/\/ Contact, dashed where approximate 
Foot of raise 

Head of raise 

===■=: Adit (broken line where extent is uncertain) 

X 700 1 Sample site 



250 

I 



I el 1,350 It 



FIGURE 13.— Sample location map for 350-ft level of Granite Mine. 



23 



pv 



Mineral King Mine 



The Mineral King Mine is at the northeast end of Bet- 
ties Bay, 0.75 mile from tidewater (fig. 11). 

History and Production 

This property was discovered by George H. Hermann 
in 1912 (23). G. A. Brook took over the property in 1917. 
By 1920, the property was being operated by the Alaska 
Pittsburgh Gold Mining Co., and over 400 ft of drifting had 
been completed, a 117-ft shaft had been developed, and a 
10-stamp mill had been installed. A new mill was erected 
in 1927 by R. J. Merrill (53), who operated the mine inter- 
mittently until 1939. The property was relocated by M. C. 
and C. A. Sage in 1973 (68). Total recorded production, 
primarily from 1928 to 1933, was 2,783 oz Au and 626 oz 
Ag from 3,685 st of ore (table 7). 

Table 7.— Recorded gold-silver production 
from Mineral King Mine 





Year 






Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 




Au 


Ag 


1913 . . . 








35 
3,500 
NA 
NA 
NA 
e 50 
50 
50 


52 
'2,116 

335 
17 
98 
73 
31 
42 


NA 


1927-32 








e 450 


1 933 . . . 








90 


1 934 . . . 








5 


1935 . . . 








30 


1 936 . . . 








17 


1937. . . 








7 


1938 . . . 








22 












Total . 


3,685 


2,783 


626 


"Estimate. NA Not available. 
1 Production reported by Richelson (40). 







Operating Data 

The workings consist of a 750-ft-long tunnel used to haul 
ore from the mine workings to a 2,000-ft-long tram, a 780-ft 
drift at an elevation of 450 ft, a 60-ft drift at an elevation 
of 550 ft, and an incline connecting the workings that is 
collared at the surface at 650 ft above sea level. The mill 
is at an elevation of approximately 50 ft. A tailings pond 
was constructed just below the mill. Pilgrim (61) described 
the mill operation in 1931 as follows: 

The plant consists of a jaw crusher, two 1,350-lb 
stamps, a Wilfley concentrating table, and an 
Ingersoll-Rand 9 by 8 air compressor driven by 
pelton wheels. The water is taken from Eaton 
Creek and is driven under a head of over 200 feet. 
Ore is brought from the portal of the tunnel to the 
mill by a jig-back tram about 2,000 feet in length. 
A small 7 by 6-inch compressor driven by a gas 
engine is situated at the tunnel for use when water 
is not available for the pelton driven compressor. 

Geologic Setting 

The geology and mineralization at the mine were ac- 
curately described by Johnson (21) as follows: 

The country rock is fine-grained dark-gray 
graywacke and argillite. A large dike is reported 
to cut these metamorphic rocks about 100 feet from 



the vein. The ore deposit occupies a fissure and is 
traceable about 200 feet. The fissure strikes 
N26°W and dips 45° at the surface and 50 °E in 
the lower part of the shaft. The width of the fissure 
filling is from 2 to 6 feet and averages about 3 feet. 
The proportion of quartz to shattered graywacke 
in the filling varies. The fissure is exposed in the 
stream 75 feet west of the shaft, where its filling 
is about 6 feet wide and consists mostly of quartz 
but includes some graywacke. Twenty-five feet 
below the collar of the shaft 13 inches of quartz 
occurred in a 39-inch fissure. At 60 ft the fissure 
was 23 inches wide, 19 inches of which was quartz. 
The quartz veins parallel the walls and there are 
very few cross fractures. Large lenses of quartz, 15 
to 25 feet long, overlap, pinch out, or play out into 
stringers which in places unite with similar 
stringers from other lenses to form veins, or the 
stringers themselves widen until they are several 
inches across. The hanging wall of the fissure 
shows no gouge and most of the quartz veins break 
free from the graywacke with no gouge. The ore 
contains quartz, calcite, sphalerite, pyrite, galena, 
chalcopyrite, gold, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite. 

Pilgrim in Stewart (61 ) also described the vein as it ap- 
peared in the workings in 1931: 

A considerable portion of the vein has been 
stoped out above the 100 foot level. The vein is a 
fissure striking N23°W and dipping 52°SE. The 
quartz above the 100 foot level varies in width from 
2 to 6 feet and has an average of about 3 feet. The 
walls are dark graywacke. Below the 100 foot level, 
the vein is somewhat scattered into lenses and 
stringers following along the cleavage of the wall 
rock. On the tunnel level some slate is interbed- 
ded with the graywacke. The slate there strikes 
N56°E. Granite shows along the last 140 feet of 
the tunnel. Where followed by the tunnel the vein 
is from 1 inch to 12 inches in width and varies con- 
siderably in direction where the granite is en- 
countered. There are a number of parallel stringers 
and lenses of quartz, especially on the hanging-wall 
side of the tunnel. A crosscut extending east from 
the tunnel at a point 75 feet from the face passes 
through the granite and into graywacke at 15 feet 
in from the tunnel. 

The ore is a white crystalline quartz containing 
considerable brecciated country rock. Contained 
sulfides are pyrite, sphalerite, and galena in ap- 
preciable amounts, and minor amounts of chal- 
copyrite, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite. Some calcite 
was observed filling narrow fractures in the 
graywacke breccia in the vein. Much of the gold 
is contained in the sulfides, which are concentrated 
in the mill and shipped to smelters in the States. 
Samples taken from the concentrating table by Mr. 
Merrill assayed as follows: 

Gold, Silver, Iron, Sulfur, 

oz oz Value pet pet 



Concen- 
trate A . . 

Concen- 
trate B . . 

Tailings . . 



6.58 49.30 $151.32 35.12 33.78 

7.18 50.80 163.92 31.97 30.73 
0.08 0.20 1.68 2.63 2.06 



24 



Bureau Work 

The Bureau collected 12 samples (5417-5419, 5443-5450, 
and 6313) and updated the mine map of the main level (fig. 
14), which was originally prepared by Shepard (51). The 
locations for 8 samples collected from the 450-ft level are 
shown on figure 14. Data for all 12 samples are listed in 
the appendix. Samples contained from to 5.3 ppm Au and 
from to 4.3 ppm Ag. The 550-ft level was not examined 
due to unsafe conditions. Two placer samples collected from 
the stream draining the mine area contained 0.001 and 
0.018 oz/yd 3 Au (appendix). 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 500 st with a weighted-average 
grade of 0.012 oz/st Au and 0.002 oz/st Ag occurs in the 
450-ft level drift. This estimate is based upon a strike length 
of 120 ft, a thickness of 0.5 ft, a depth of 100 ft, and a ton- 
nage factor of 12. Up to 5,000 st of untested tailings is 
estimated to occur in the tailings impoundment below the 
mill. 

Samples collected in the 450-ft level were low in grade 
and suggest that the vein has little potential for develop- 
ment where it is hosted by granite. Previous production is 
reported to have come from the 550-ft level, where the vein 
is hosted by Valdez Group rocks (61). Reports also suggest 
that most of the high-grade quartz was mined out between 
1928 and 1939 (43, 61). Values could increase at depth; ad- 



ditional evaluation, if attempted, should include both ex- 
amination and sampling of the 550-ft level and drilling to 
intercept the vein below the 450-ft level. The mill tailings 
should be sampled and tested to determine their grade and 
amenability to heap leaching. 

This deposit has moderate mineral development poten- 
tial for a small lode mine and may have moderate mineral 
development potential for heap leaching of the tailings. 

Culross Mine 

The Culross Mine is 1,500 ft southeast of the head of 
Culross Bay on Culross Island at an elevation of 190 to 370 
ft. The mill is located at sea level near the head of Culross 
Bay (fig. 11). 

History and Production 

This deposit was first discovered in 1907 (1). By 1914, 
development work included a 28-ft shaft, a 175-ft drift, and 
a 140-ft crosscut; and 5 st of ore had been shipped (57). A 
10-ft arrastre mill and two gravity tables were set up on 
the property in 1917 (57) by the Thomas Culross Mining 
Co., which declared bankruptcy in 1918 after completing 
73 ft of drifting. In 1919, the mine was taken over by the 
Culross Island Mining and Milling Co., which continued 
development through 1925 with 220 ft of tunneling, 240 ft 
of raising, and installation of a 650-ft 3 /s air compresor (32, 
60). Only minor development work and sampling have oc- 



Surfsc* el 660 ft y\ 




\V Kv \ 






V To 


Kv 






V— n«l 660 It 


30 60 


V n 


Sole. It 




'''■V 




/ el 460 II I— J» 



-5443-4 



'V 



Portal el 460 II 



Surlece el 660 II 






€ N KV 5448 \ 










^S> Ttl 5447 // 


\r 55 


60 120 

i i 1 


KV V^s \/V-~> 


Scale. It 


/Tgy/'" Tg 






>VF5445, 5450 
/<Jr^5449 




LEGEND 


r / / 


Kv 


Cretaceous Valdez Group 




Tg 


Tertiary granite 




•**- 


Quartz vein, showing dip 







Contact, dashed where approximate 


Kv 








^i^ 


Fault, showing dip and relative movement 


4 


■+" 


Strike ot vertical tault 




— ' 


Strike and dip ol foliation 




B^Z 


Inclined shaft 




- 


Adit 




X5448 


Sample site 



FIGURE 14.— Sample location map for Mineral King Mine. 



25 



curred since 1925. Recorded production totaled 62 oz Au and 
53 oz Ag from 52 st of ore. The size of the existing stopes 
indicates that approximately 800 st of rock was removed 
from them. 

Operating Data 

Underground workings consist of an adit at the 190-ft 
level containing 185 ft of crosscut, 480 ft of drift, and several 
small stopes (fig. 15). A 180-ft raise extends from this level 
to the surface. A series of small stopes has been driven above 
this level. About 110 ft to the south, a second adit has been 
driven 50 ft, but it does not intersect the main shear zone. 

A mill building enclosing a 10-ft arrastre mill, two grav- 
ity tables, a pelton wheel, and an air compressor once ex- 
isted on the beach below the mine. A cable tramway con- 
nected it to the mine workings. However, the building has 
collapsed and the gravity tables have been removed. 

Geologic Setting 

The mine workings occur within Orca Group volcanics 
lying just east of a probable fault contact with Valdez Group 
slate and graywacke. Wall rocks consist of quartz-chlorite 
schist, with occasional pillow outlines. Mineralization oc- 
curs in quartz veins confined to a 4- to 8-ft-thick nearly ver- 
tical fault zone which trends N10° to 15 °E and cuts the 
volcanics. This zone has been explored underground along 
strike for at least 410 ft and contains a 1- to 4-in-thick gouge 
zone that extends its entire length. Quartz-calcite stringers 
and veins varying from less than 1 in to 3 ft thick occur 
throughout the shear zone and locally account for up to 20 
pet of the total rock. The veins have irregular margins, 
pinch and swell in a boudin-like manner, and contain quartz 
rod and small fold structures roughly parallel to foliation. 
The vein composition varies from totally quartz to all 
calcite, with iron staining and ribbon structure common 
underground. The veins contain an average of less than 1 
pet pyrrhotite with occasional gold. Selected pieces of dump 
material contained 1 pet galena, chalcopyrite, and visible 
gold. Johnson (21 ) also reported arsenopyrite and sphalerite 
in the ore. Quartz float from several trenches in the area 
contained up to 5 pet galena, 1 pet chalcopyrite, and visi- 
ble gold. A linear depression in which the quartz float oc- 
curs marks the surface expression of the fault zone. 

Bureau Work 

The underground workings were mapped and sampled 
where possible, although the tops of several stopes were not 
accessible. Sample data for 31 samples containing from a 
trace to 30 ppm Au and from less than 0.2 to 11 ppm Ag 
are listed in the appendix. One additional sample (4263), 
collected from the arrastre mill, contained 300 ppm Au and 
65 ppm Ag. The locations of all subsurface samples collected 
are shown on figure 15. 

Prospecting in the area east of the Culross Mine re- 
vealed some quartz float containing 1 pet arsenopyrite, but 
no visible gold. Several quartz veins occur in the area, but 
they were completely devoid of sulfides. A 10- by 15-ft ex- 
posure of shale cut by numerous quartz veinlets contained 
traces of copper and zinc but no precious metals. 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 9,800 st, containing a 
weighted-average grade of 0.16 oz/st Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag, 



was identified at the Culross Mine. This estimate was based 
on a strike length of 480 ft, a thickness of 1 ft, a depth of 
240 ft, and a tonnage factor of 11.7. A previous estimate 
made by Richelson (41) was more optimistic; he calculated 
a reserve of 75,000 st containing 1.5 oz/st Au, 1.5 oz/st Ag, 
1 pet Cu, and 1 pet Pb. 

This deposit is estimated to have moderate mineral 
development potential for a small precious metal lode mine. 
Additional sampling, mapping, surface trenching, and drill- 
ing is recommended. 

Portage Mine 

The Portage Mine is at the head of Poe Valley, approx- 
imately 12 miles northeast of Whittier, AK (fig. 11). The 
portal is at an elevation of 1,550 ft, and remnants of sup- 
port buildings remain along the west side of Poe Valley at 
an elevation of 300 ft. 

History and Production 

The deposit was located by Domenic Vietti and partners 
in 1928 (58). Portage Gold Mines, Ltd. acquired the prop- 
erty in 1933 and performed development work with some 
production between 1935 and 1940 (46). A mine report was 
written for Brigitte Mining and Consulting Co., Ltd. in 1965 
by Steiner (59), but no subsequent activity has occurred. 
Total recorded production is 490 oz Au and 60 oz Ag. 

Operating Data 

Workings are at an elevation of 1,550 ft and consist of 
a 278-ft crosscut, a 345-ft drift with approximately 220 ft 
of stoping, and 240 ft of raises (fig. 16). One 160-ft raise 
reaches the surface at about 1,700 ft above sea level. Several 
cases of unopened dynamite are present at the east end of 
the drift. Equipment used at the mine was described in a 
1936 report by Roehm (46): 

This company owns a 20 hp diesel McCormick- 
Deering tractor which is used in hauling supplies 
from the beach to the camp and part way to the 
mine. The mine is operated with a 2-stage air- 
cooled Ingersoll-Rand compressor. This is [a] type 
40M with 186 ft air displacement and delivers 150 
feet 3 . This is run by a 30 hp Gardner diesel with 
belt drive. Gardner-Denver machines with 
detachable bits are used in the mine. Timber is 
lacking in the vicinity of the mine. However, 
within half a mile of the beach an abundance is 
found. A seasonal water power site could be 
developed from the glacial stream which has ap- 
proximately a 50 foot fall within 200 feet of the 
beach. 

The compressor, diesel, and other equipment occupy a 
small room underground within 50 ft of the portal. 

Geologic Setting 

Roehm (46) also described the geology and mineraliza- 
tion of the area: 

The geology in this area is very favorable for gold 
deposition due to the existence of a slate and 
granite contact that shows considerable mineral- 
ization. This contact is located along the east side 



26 





u 

4) 
> 
4) 



O 

o> 



o. 

(0 

E 



a 

o 

o 

« 

a. 
E 
a 
(0 

I 



UJ 

QC 

3 

a 



a ™ 





a 


*>/y 


z 


CO Jf / 


LU 


m Av 


o 


to Vf>/ ( 


LU 


00 &/ 


_l 


&>l o 




«/ ro 




5- s 










a 1 I LO 




£ CM 




■ •*■ 





5 - 



-* — 



'1 



^ o 

, r^ 

■* 
\ co 

X 



27 



fc^ - 



.♦- 70 r , 


.85 


%7S D 


U 


■wrv^ru 


73 



4992-3 



Caved 




LEGEND 
Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 
Quartz vein, showing dip 

Felsic dike, showing dip 

Fault, showing dip and relative 
movement 

Shear zone 

Strike and dip of foliation 

H Raise 

— B- Ore chute 

jfifflffiA Stope Portal el 1.550 ft 

^ Adit 

X4991 Sample site 

FIGURE 16.— Sample location map for 1,550-ft level of Portage Mine. 



of the valley in a northerly direction cutting the 
schistosity of the slates at nearly a right angle. 
Several light greenish to gray dikes extend from 
the contact into the slates at various angles. The 
slates consist of wide bands of black graphitic 
slates, interbanded narrow graywacke and slates 
of a more argillaceous nature. Along and in the 
vicinity of these dikes small quartz veins have been 
found. The main showing on this group consists of 
a banded quartz lens with an exposed length of 150 
feet and an average width of 12 inches. The strike 



of this lens is N60°E and dips 58° to 60°NW. The 
slate formation strikes N70°E and dips 69° to 
70°NW. This gives a difference of 10° in both 
strike and dip between vein and formation. 

The vein is enclosed in a strong shear which con- 
tains a gouge of highly crumpled slates 3-feet wide. 
This gouge contains the quartz lenses which vary 
between the walls of the gouge. The average length 
of these lenses is 20 to 25 feet anrl they vary in 
width from a few inches to 20 inches, as they oc- 
cur along the drift. Usually barren spaces of 10 to 



28 



15 feet exist between the lenses. Where the cross- 
cut tunnel hits the vein, a dike of greenish color 
was found striking N40°E and dipping NW. This 
dike was cut by the vein with only a few feet 
displacement. At a point 22 feet east of the 
crosscut, a raise was started on a small lens. This 
raise is directly under the larger surface outcrop. 
The quartz widened from a few inches to 12 inches 
at the top 30 feet above. Later reports stated this 
raise encountered a dike of greenish nature 
paralleling the vein with the vein showing a 
greater width and higher values. 

The milky white banded graphitic quartz con- 
tains a 1-percent mineralization of (in order of 
abundance) pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, 
chalcopyrite, and free gold. The mineralization and 
also the gold values were spotty and occur both in 
the quartz and along the graphitic bands. The lens 
on the surface over its exposed length of 150 feet 
and average 12-inch width was reported to average 
one and a half ounces of gold per ton. A 35-feet sec- 
tion of this exposed length was reported to average 
between 2 and 3 oz. Free gold can be seen in several 
places along the drift and the average assay was 
reported good. 

Bureau Work 

In 1980, the Bureau examined, sampled (4991-4995 and 
5458-5461), and mapped the main workings (fig. 16), and 
collected a pan concentrate sample (4996) from the small 
drainage southwest of the portal. The surface exposure at 
1,700 ft was briefly examined and sampled (5692A-5692E) 
in 1981. Data for all 15 samples are listed in the appendix. 
The samples contained up to 16.6 ppm Au and 6 ppm Ag. 

Resource Assessment 

Company reports suggest that the deposit contains 
10,000 st of identified resource grading 0.6 oz/st Au and 0.1 
oz/st Ag (58-59). Previous reports have been optimistic con- 
cerning the potential for development of this property. 
Smitheringale (58) concluded, 

The results of work during 1935 are favorable 
and sufficient to warrant the installation of 
machinery to further the rapid exploration of the 
vein at depth. 

In 1965, Steiner (59) recommended, 

The existence of economical quantities of gold 
had been proven by former operation. The present 
conditions existing in the area warrant an inten- 
sive exploration program, aimed at a substantially 
greater development of the property than was car- 
ried out previously. 

Bureau sampling indicated that the vein contains spotty 
but generally low-grade values of Au. However, samples 
could only be collected from material left behind by the 
original miners. The vein has good strike length and con- 
tinuity up dip to the surface. Should the vein also be con- 
tinuous at depth, significant reserves could exist. Other 
quartz veins are visible above and to the east of the cur- 
rent workings near the contact zone between a granodiorite 
stock and Valdez Group rocks. Bureau investigators agree 
with the following statement by Steiner (59): 



It is thus inferred that further exploration of the 
contact zone will most certainly disclose the ex- 
istence of additional quartz vein systems capable 
of carrying gold mineralization. 

The Portage Mine has moderate mineral development 
potential. Additional evaluation, including surface trench- 
ing and sampling, mapping, and drilling, is warranted. 



MOOSE PASS AREA 

Approximately 20 lode gold deposits have been iden- 
tified in the Moose Pass area. Four of these deposits, the 
Primrose, Crown Point, Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek, 
and East Point Mines are discussed below because of their 
significant past production and/or moderate or high mineral 
development potential. Other deposits are discussed in a 
previous report (18). 

Primrose Mine 

The Primrose Mine is on Porcupine Creek, 2.5 miles by 
trail from the Primrose Creek campground, at an elevation 
of 1,000 ft (fig. 17). 

History and Production 

This deposit was discovered and staked in 1911 by John 

Rice (26), who completed some surface trenching and 

developed a 22-ft adit. The Primrose Mining Co. took over 

the claims in 1912 and constructed two adits and a 75-ft 

inclined shaft (26). Chase Hubbard obtained ownership of 

the claims in 1914 and completed minor development work 

between 1914 and 1926 (7). Recorded production, mostly 

from 1912 to 1918, totals 659 oz Au and 138 oz Ag from 

300 st of ore. However, Burnette (7), a consulting mining 

engineer, reported that over 4,000 oz Au had been produced 

by 1931. A summary of assay values and smelter runs was 

also made by Burnette (7) in 1931. He commented, 

The average value per ton of the ore from this 

property on the Primrose claim approximates 

$100.00 per ton net. A shipment made to the Ta- 

coma smelter and including a pro-rated amount of 

ore from all surface ore appearing as outcrops, ran 

2.45 oz gold and 1.29 oz silver per ton, or $50.64 

per ton in gold. These shipments were made in 

order to derive from fair tonnage sampling, the 

average per ton of all ore taken from all ore 

disclosures. 

Other shipments of ore to the smelter of from 
twelve to fifteen tons and which were taken from 
the general mine run, showed as follows: 



5.20 oz gold - 


-$104.00 


2.39 oz silver- 


-$1.40 ton 


5.38 


107.60 


2.22 


1.33 " 


5.67 


113.40 


2.70 


1.61 " 


5.96 


119.00 


2.67 


1.60 " 



A winze has been sunk on Veins Nos. 6 and 7 
to a depth of 50 ft from creek level. The first 10 
ft of ore out of this shaft was shipped to the smelter 
and for the nine tons of ore extracted and shipped, 
a gross value of $105.29 per ton was realized, or 
approximately $100.00 per foot in depth. Some of 
this ore at the surface and at 10 ft in depth assayed 



29 



-- 



!49°30' 







' fV 
60°30' — ; 



m 




Rail 






I. A K 



T3bc* 



r 

I* O 

r /< 

Adah- ^vfajji 



O ° 



• Primrose Mln« 



Bo»a odopUd from U.S.G.S. P 250,000 3»word quadronglt 




Scale, miles 
Contour interval, 200 ft 



LEGEND 
O Known mineral deposit 
• Major deposit discussed in report 



N 



FIGURE 17.— Locations of important lode gold deposits in Moose Pass area. 



$300.00 per ton. Ore assays at the bottom of this 
shaft (50 ft) ran $436.11 and $654.36 per ton. 

A mill test was made at the property in August 
1930, running through some of the ore (five tons) 
taken from the above mentioned shaft, which was 
taken out in the ordinary course of development 
or just a general run of mine ore. This ore plated 
about $38.00 per ton in free gold and ran nearly 
$800.00 per ton in concentrate. The general 
average per ton was a little over $100.00 and as 
only part of the saving devices were installed, 
much of the values were lost. 

Operating Data 

One cabin of the five original buildings remains stand- 
ing and is in current use. Portions of the mill remain at 
creek level below the cabin. Three levels of workings total- 
ing 450 ft were reported by Byram (8) in 1932. Portions of 
these workings have been reopened by the current owner. 



Geologic Setting 

Martin, Johnson, and Grant (26) describes the geologic 
setting and mineralization at the Primrose Mine as follows: 



The interbedded slate and graywacke in the 
creek bottom strikes N17 ° W and has a vertical dip. 
On the canyon walls, however, surficial creep of 
the beds has caused an inclination of the upper part 
of the lode and country rock toward the creek and 
has resulted in a false dip of the beds away from 
the creek and a strike approximately parallel to 
the course of the canyon. The quartz stringers at 
the surface dip 35° to 40°E, and at a depth of 40 
feet in the incline shaft the vein is said to stand 
nearly vertical and to strike about N30°E. At this 
depth the stringers are reported to converge into 
a nearly solid vein 7 feet thick with well defined 
walls. 



30 



The gangue in the stringers is quartz, coarsely 
crystalline in some of the larger stringers and 
showing interlocking crystals in places at the 
center of the veins. Some calcite occurs with the 
quartz as a gangue mineral. Arsenopyrite is the 
most abundant sulfide and occurs in association 
with the other sulfides, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, 
galena, and pyrite. The gold occurs free in the 
quartz and also in intimate associat .n with the 
sulfides. 

At the portal of the upper level, which was visited by 
Bureau investigators in 1982, the host rocks consist of 
highly fractured, incompetent slate and graywacke of the 
Valdez Group striking N60°E and dipping 55°SE. This at- 
titude is believed to reflect slumping. The quartz vein ex- 
posed at the portal is 8 to 10 in wide within a 3-ft-wide shear 
zone striking N60°E and dipping 55°SE. The quartz con- 
tains some carbonate and has a well-developed ribbon struc- 
ture caused by dark, carbonaceous-appearing bands along 
which fine-grained sulfides and gold have formed. Sulfides 
are abundant and include arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, 
galena, sphalerite, and pyrrhotite. Malachite and covellite 
are also present. The vein is highly oxidized and breaks 
freely away from its walls. Gouge is well-developed along 
both walls. Small vugs containing clear, euhedral quartz 
crystals are present. 

Bureau Work 



continued in 1911, and a 630-ft aerial tram with a 5-st/h 
capacity and a 5-stamp mill were installed (26). Thereafter, 
the mine operated each year through 1916 with a total pro- 
duction of 1,852 oz Au and 428 oz Ag. The property was 
reopened in 1935 by the Crown Point Mining Co., and pro- 
duction between 1935 and 1940 totaled 1,293 oz Au and 206 
oz Ag. Minor development work occurred from 1955 to 1959 
by Anson Houldsberry and Edward Nielson (1). Only assess- 
ment work has been completed since 1959. Total recorded 
production is 3,145 oz Au and 639 oz Ag from 2,995 st of 
ore (table 8). 



Table 8.— Recorded gold-silver production 
from Crown Point Mine 



Year 



Ore, st 



1911 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

1935 

1936 

1937 

1938 

1939 

1940 

Total 

"Estimate. 



184 

382 

230 

100 

700 

350 

110 

214 

25 

e 300 

e 200 

200 



Recovery, 


oz 


Au 


Ag 


412 


106 


381 


99 


377 


60 


97 


14 


346 


99 


239 


50 


3 


1 


371 


36 


97 


23 


426 


54 


230 


56 


166 


41 



2,995 



3,145 



639 



In 1982, Bureau investigators briefly examined and 
sampled the Primrose vein where it is exposed above the 
portal of the upper level. An attempt was made to reopen 
the portal but was abandoned due to caving. Data from the 
three samples collected (7174, 7175A, and 7175B) are listed 
in the appendix. The two samples assayed contained 1.17 
to 1.57 oz/st Au and 0.6 oz/st Ag. 

Resource Assessment 

Available historical data and Bureau work suggest that 
the deposit may contain an identified resource of 1,300 st 
averaging 1.42 oz/st Au and 0.6 oz/st Ag (8). However, ad- 
ditional work is needed to support these estimates. This 
deposit has high mineral development potential based upon 
past production and recent sampling. Additional work, in- 
cluding reopening old workings, surface trenching, and 
sampling, is highly recommended. 

Crown Point Mine 

The Crown Point Mine is on the north side of Falls 
Creek approximately 3 miles southeast of Moose Pass at 
an elevation between 4,100 and 4,600 ft (fig. 17). The 
original mill was located on a small eastern tributary to 
Falls Creek at an elevation of 1,700 ft. 

History and Production 

Three veins are exposed at the Crown Point Mine (26). 
The Black Butte vein was originally discovered and staked 
in 1906. Two veins referred to as the Moon Anchor veins 
were staked in 1907 (26) but have never been developed. 
T. W. Hawkins, Charles E. Brown, James R. Hodden, and 
John Adams optioned the Black Butte vein, did some 
development work, and subsequently deeded the property 
to the Kenai Alaska Gold Co. in 1910 (26). Development 



Operating Data 

Four working levels exist at elevations of 4,170 ft, 4,320 
ft, 4,450 ft, and 4,540 ft (fig. 18). Most of the two lower adits 
is accessible; the 4,450-ft level is caved within 50 ft of the 
portal; and the 4,540-ft level is caved at the portal. Stoping 
was extensive between the three upper levels. The lowest 
level appears to have been used primarily for haulage. Total 
development is estimated to exceed 2,000 ft, over half of 
which is currently accessible. 

The milling and recovery procedure used during the 
1911 to 1916 period of production was described by Johnson 
(20): 

During 1911 the ore sacked at the mine was 
hauled on go-devils to the mill, where it was passed 
over a 1.5-inch grizzly, the oversize going to a 
Blake ore crusher. It was then fed to a 5-stamp 
mill, the stamps dropping 114 times a minute with 
a 6-inch drop, the pulp being discharged through 
a 40-mesh screen. After passing over the 
amalgamating plates, the pulp went to a Risdon- 
Johnston concentrator. The concentrates were 
shipped to the Tacoma smelter and the tailings 
were impounded pending the erection of a plant 
for the recovery of their contained gold. 

A more recent mill was apparently constructed just 
below the 4,170-ft level. However, the structure was 
destroyed by avalanche(s) prior to the 1980 visit by the 
Bureau. 

Geologic Setting 

Mineralization at the Crown Point Mine is hosted by 
Valdez Group slate and graywacke which generally strike 



31 



*" 



Kv 



5288 



LEGEND 



Cretaceous Valdez Group 



♦? 5 _ 


Quartz vein. 


,'/7/7a. 


Stope 


a 


Prospect pit 


B 


Raise 



Winze 



48 
— •— Strike and dip of foliation 



= ■■=: Adit el 4,170 ft 



'=<■ Adit el 4,320 ft 



====: Adit el 4,450 ft 




40 80 



Scale, ft 



Adit el 4,540 ft 

X 5288 Sample site 

FIGURE 18.— Sample location map for Crown Point Mine except for 4,320-ft level. (See also figure 19.) 



32 



north and dip steeply to the east. Johnson, in Martin, 
Johnson, and Grant (26), discussed the structural 
characteristics of the ore deposit in some detail: 

The Black Butte vein occupies a fissure, formed 
during or after the folding of the slate-gray wacke 
series. The strike of the fissure as shown by the 
plan of the mine workings (fig. 19) is sightly 
curved, varying from N50° to S83°E. The dip 
ranges from 65 °SE to 90 °. On the surface the vein 
has been traced for more than 1,500 feet. The width 
of the fissure filling ranges from 5 to 48 inches, 
the average width being from 20 to 30 inches. The 
fissure filling consists of crushed and decomposed 
country rock with numerous lenses and stringers 
of quartz which locally fill the entire fissure. The 
width of the quartz masses varies from 1 inch to 
30 inches. Twenty measurements on several of the 
quartz lenses gave an average width of 11 inches. 
Larger and more continuous bodies of quartz have 
been found in the east end of the lower drift than 
in the west end, and most of the development work 
of 1911 was done in that part of the mine. Con- 
siderable movement has taken place along this 
fissure since the vein quartz was deposited, as is 
shown by the slickensided quartz surfaces within 
the vein, the close jointing in the quartz, and the 
lenticular nature of some of the quartz masses. 
Slickensides are also noticeable in the slate close 
to the veins. 

No development work has been done on the veins 
on the Moon Anchor claim and little is known 
regarding their size or extent. Both veins 
apparently occupy fissures, one of which strikes a 
little south of east and has a vertical dip. This vein 
is traceable about 200 feet. The width of the quartz 
filling of these veins varies from 1 to 2 feet. 

Johnson (26) also described the mineralization present. 

The quartz gangue, as a rule, is massive and com- 
pact. The veins on the Moon Anchor claim, 
however, contain a few small cavities lined with 
well-developed quartz crystals. The vein quartz is 
milky -white except where discolored by decomposi- 
tion products of the sulfides. Calcite occurs in the 
veins in small quantities. The close rhombohedral 
jointing of the quartz gives the ore a checked 
appearance. 

The ore is free-milling. The gold is very fine and 
is rarely visible to the unaided eye. The sulfides, 
arsenopyrite, galena, and sphalerite, form less 
than 1 pet of the ore. The gold is found both free 
and in close association with or included in the 
sulfides, which are fine and widely scattered 
through the quartz gangue. Many of the joint sur- 
faces of the quartz are rusty and when cleaned 
show much fine gold, left by the decomposition of 
the gold-bearing sulfides. 

Additional characteristics of possible significance were 
identified during an examination of the property by Bureau 
and USGS investigators in July 1980. The Black Butte vein 
was developed along a fault zone that apparently offset a 
well-defined sandstone bed by 9 ft in a right lateral sense. 
The vein itself is consistently offset left-laterally by 
northeast-striking fractures. Muscovite was identified in the 
Black Butte vein, which should allow the vein to be dated 
by potassium-argon methods. 



Bureau Work 

Bureau investigators examined, sampled, and mapped the 
accessible workings during 1980 (figs. 18-19). Quantitative 
analyses for 16 samples collected from the Crown Point 
Mine (5288-5295, 5302-5304, 5307-5309, 5684, and 7141) are 
summarized in the appendix. The locations of most of these 
samples are indicated on figures 18 and 19. Samples 5307 
through 5309 are located up to 500 ft west of the 4,540 ft 
level, and are not shown. The weighted-average grade of 
the samples collected from the Black Butte vein was 0.37 
oz/st Au and 0.1 oz/st Ag. The highest grade samples (5293, 
5302, 5303, and 5684) were collected from the east end of 
the 4,320-ft level (fig. 19), from a pillar between the 4,320- 
and 4,450-ft levels where 50 st of material containing 2 oz/st 
Au and 0.5 oz/st Ag was identified. 

The Black Butte vein was traced on the surface for about 
1,000 ft west of the 4,540-ft level. Samples 5288 and 5308 
contained high enough values (8.6 ppm and 14.0 ppm Au, 
respectively) to indicate that the western extension of the 
Black Butte vein deserves additional exploration. The east 
end of the vein is cut off by a northeast-striking high-angle 
fault of undetermined net slip. No eastern extension of the 
vein was located during the course of this investigation, and 
apparently no such extension was found by previous owners. 

In 1981, a 300-lb bulk sample (5684) was collected from 
the 4,320-ft level to determine grade and metallurgical 
characteristics. This sample assayed 2.2 oz/st Au and 0.5 
oz/st Ag. However, metallurgical tests were not completed. 
In 1982, approximately 50 lb of debris from the floor of the 
4,320-ft level was collected, panned, and amalgamated 
(7141). Results indicated that this debris contained over 0.2 
oz/st free gold. Crushing would likely liberate additional 
gold. 

Resource Assessment 

Surface sampling indicated that the western extension 
of the Black Butte vein has an identified resource of 31,000 
st with a weighted-average grade of 0.37 oz/st Au and 0.1 
oz/st Ag. This estimate was made using a strike length of 
1,000 ft, a thickness of 0.75 ft, a depth of 500 ft, and a ton- 
nage factor of 12. 

Stoping of the Black Butte vein has been extensive. 
Only a few pillars remain underground which might be 
capable of supporting a small high-grading operation. 
Resource calculations are possible for the pillar sampled in 
the east end of the 4,320-ft level, where the mineralization 
averages 6 in thick over a strike length of 40 ft. Assuming 
that the vein continues up dip for 30 ft with an average 
grade of 2 oz/st Au (based upon samples 5293, 5302-5303, 
and 5684) approximately 100 oz of gold remains in the pillar. 

The Crown Point Mine has high mineral development 
potential. Probably the best was to block out enough 
reserves to support a small operation for 5 yr or more would 
be to explore the western extension of the Black Butte vein 
or attempt to locate the eastern faulted-off extension of the 
vein by drilling. 

Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek Mines 

The Skeen-Lechner Mine is approximately 3 miles east 
of the Seward Highway on the north side of Falls Creek at 
an elevation of 3,200 ft (fig. 17). The Falls Creek Mine is 
located on Falls Creek below the Skeen-Lechner workings. 
Both properties were operated by the same company 
throughout most of their history. 



33 



~" 




5293, 5302-3, 5684, 7141 



LEGEND 

Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

t™-^ Quartz vein, showing dip and relative 

- movement 
so , 

* Fault, showing dip and relative movement 

— — — (dashed where approximate) 

,50 

■v-\-->_-v. Shear zone, showing dip 

-l?° Strike and dip of bedding 

50 

— - Strike and dip of foliation 

I ~~ \ Stope 



Adit 
x529 1 Sample site 



Pottal el 4.320 It 



FIGURE 19.— Sample location map for 4,320-ft level of Crown Point Mine. 



History and Production 

The Falls Creek vein was originally located by F. P. 
Skeen and John Lechner in 1905 (26). The Skeen-Lechner 
veins were discovered in 1907 (19). Development work 
began on the Falls Creek vein in 1905 with the driving of 
a 90-ft adit and the sinking of a 20-ft winze. The California- 
Alaska Mining Co. purchased the Falls Creek property in 
1908 and completed 140 ft of drift and deepened the winze 
to 40 ft (26). An arrastre mill was installed in 1909 and 1910, 
and 5 oz Au was recovered (26). A 2-stamp mill was installed 
in 1911, and 90 st of ore was milled. Development work 
began on the Skeen-Lechner veins in 1910 by F. L. Ballaine 
and J. A. Nelson (19). They deeded the property to the 
Skeen-Lechner Mining Co. in 1911, and development work 
continued. During 1912, the Falls Creek workings were 
dewatered, and the mill was fed with ore from the Skeen- 
Lechner property. Johnson (26) reported that underground 
workings at the Skeen-Lechner totaled 1,000 ft by 1912. Pro- 
duction continued until 1915. 

Mel Horner acquired the Skeen-Lechner Mine in 1939 
and deeded it to the Falls Creek Mining Co., which also 
owned the Falls Creek Mine (19). Minor production occurred 
in 1942, 1943, and from 1946 to 1950. Little work has been 
done since 1950. Total combined recorded production was 
1,851 oz Au and 520 oz Ag from 3,286 st of ore (table 9). 

Operating Data 

Workings of the Falls Creek Mine are reported to total 
860 ft (fig. 20), but they are currently inaccessible (19). The 
mill, which was destroyed by an avalanche in 1981, con- 



Table 9.— Recorded gold-silver production from 
Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek Mines 



Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


OZ 


Au 


Ag 


1911 


90 

50 

900 

1,632 

20 

5 

6 

40 

174 

80 

124 

110 

e 55 


65 

72 

435 

783 

97 

4 

19 

49 

86 

24 

85 

98 

34 


13 


1912 


13 


1913 


141 


1914 . . 


231 


1915 


3 


1937 . . 


NA 


1942 . . 


4 


1943 


26 


1 946 


23 


1 947 


7 


1948 


23 


1949 


27 


1950 


9 






Total 


3,286 


1,851 


520 


e Estimate. 


NA Not available. 







tained a jaw crusher, ball mill, amalgamation plates, and 
diesel generator. 

At the Skeen-Lechner Mine, two veins were developed 
by three levels of workings (fig. 21) at elevations of 3,140 
ft, 3,210 ft, and 3,260 ft. The middle level is currently ac- 
cessible; the other two are caved at their portals, although 
the upper level can be entered through a raise that in- 
tersects the surface. 

According to company data (19), workings at the end 
of 1950 totaled nearly 2,000 ft and were identified by type 
as follows (with all values in feet): 



34 



LEGEND 



Narrow Canyon 



-ft waterfall 



Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

» • » Quartz vein, dashed where 
*" "*" approximate 



Fault, showing dip 
Existing shaft 




Proposed shaft 

Adit 

Existing workings 

Proposed workings 



/ General location of proposed 
/ / tunnel to tap vein at depth 




Section A-A' 



FIGURE 20.— Map of Falls Creek Mine workings. 



Level and vein Crosscuts Drifts Raises Winzes Total 

3,260, lower ... 18 204 70 5 297 

3,210, upper ... 122 193 125 5 445 
3,140: 

Upper 74 38 175 287 

Lower 300 422 170 70 962 

Total 514 857 540 80 1,991 

No workings were reported along the upper vein of the 
3,260-ft level or along the lower vein of the 3,210-ft level. 
Apparently, not all of the footage recorded in the company's 
records was mapped on the company mine map (fig. 21). 

Geologic Setting 

The Skeen-Lechner and Falls Creek veins are hosted 
by Valdez Group rocks. Cross section A-A', showing the 
veins' relationship to the 3,210-ft level, is included in figure 
21 (inset) for reference. Johnson (26) accurately described 
the upper and lower veins of the Skeen-Lechner Mine as 
follows: 

The upper vein, occupying a fissure in the 
massive gray wacke, strikes N15 ° W and dips 45 °E. 
About midway of its present known length it is off- 
set 40 feet on the tunnel level by a vertical fault 



fissure striking N56°E. The sheared zone along the 
fault plane is 12 to 23-inches wide and is filled with 
crushed country rock containing fragments of vein 
quartz. 

Slickensides are visible on this included vein 
quartz and on the walls of the fault fissure. In the 
tunnel this vein is well defined, varies in width 
from 20 to 45-inches and shows 1 to 4-inches of 
gouge on both walls. The outcrop shows much less 
quartz, 28-inches being the maximum measure- 
ment made, and in places the fissure filling is a 
sheared arsenopyrite impregnated graywacke con- 
taining only a few narrow quartz stringers. The 
lower vein lies about 90 feet southwest of the up- 
per vein and has a strike of N45°W and a dip of 
65°NE. It measured 46-inches at the original 
discovery, near the mouth of the upper tunnel. In 
the lower tunnel, the width of the vein varied from 
1 foot to 4 feet, averaging about 2 feet. Gouge 
shows on both walls. 

Johnson (26) also describes characteristics of the ore and 
compares the ore with that of adjacent properties including 
the Crown Point (Kenai-Alaska) and Falls Creek 
(California-Alaska) deposits: 



--' 



35 



* Lower quartz vein width at 
V^face reported to be 36 in 



Upper quartz vein width at 
* face reported to be 28 in 



Sloped to surfac 



Upper quartz vein width at 
face reported to be 28 in 



A.- 




LEGEND 

Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

_ t 7o^ Quartz vein, showing dip (dashed where 

«--»-•-« approximate) 

Shear zone, showing dip and relative 

movement 



Average dip of upper 
quartz vein is reported 
to be 45° 




•Average dip of lower 
quartz vein is reportec 
ito be 60° 



Section A-A' 



H 


Raise 







Winze 




MM 


Stope 




. 


Adit el 


3,140 ft 



Dump 



=:: = ::=; Adit el 3,210 ft 

=:=:=; Adit el 3,260 ft 
X7136 Sample site 





I 


30 

I 


60 

I 




Scale, ft 





FIGURE 21. — Sample location map for Skeen-Lechner Mine. 



36 



The fissure filling of the two veins is massive 
white quartz, somewhat shattered and jointed. 
Faint indications of secondary banding are seen 
in some places. Only a few small crystal-lined 
cavities are noticeable in the vein quartz. At the 
western end of the outcrop of the upper vein, the 
quartz occurs as a network of stringers in the shat- 
tered country rock, the graywacke being con- 
siderably iron-stained. The quartz stringers here 
are frozen tightly to the graywacke, and narrow 
rusty bands, showing the former position of iron 
sulfides lie along the contact. The country rock is 
impregnated with iron sulfides at several places 
along the vein. 

Sulfides are somewhat more abundant in these 
veins than in those of the Kenai-Alaska Gold Co., 
but they are not nearly so plentiful as in the vein 
on the adjacent property of the California-Alaska 
Mining Co. Native gold occurs in association with 
arsenopyrite and galena and in one specimen gold 
was embedded in an arsenopyrite grain. The gold 
and sulfide appear as small grains, no large masses 
being observed in either vein. 

Mineralization at the Falls Creek Mine is reported to 
consist of an 8-in- to 4-ft-thick vein in a vertical 5-ft-thick 
shear zone striking N50°E in slate and metasandstone 
striking N10°E and dipping 75 °E (65). Metallic minerals 
include arsenopyrite, galena, pyrite, sphalerite, and gold. 
Free gold is associated with narrow bluish quartz stringers 
and fine-grained sulfides. 

Bureau Work 

Bureau investigators examined, sampled, and mapped 
accessible portions of the Skeen-Lechner Mine in 1980 and 
1982. Data for 22 samples (4824-4837, 7132-7138, and 7140) 
are listed in the appendix. Sample 4835, collected over an 
18-in thickness of quartz that included 6 in of country rock 
from a surface exposure of the upper vein (fig. 21), assayed 
over 10 oz/st Au and nearly 1 oz/st Ag. The weighted- 
average grade of the remaining quartz samples, all collected 
from the upper quartz vein, was less than 0.5 oz/st Au and 
0.25 oz/st Ag. The 1980 and 1982 examinations of the prop- 
perty were restricted to sampling portions of the upper vein 
that were exposed in the 3,210-ft level and at the surface. 

The Falls Creek mill site was visited in 1980 and 1982. 
Photographs of the mill were taken in 1980 prior to the 
avalanche. One vein exposure located across the creek from 
the mill site, above what appeared to be a caved portal, was 
sampled (4823) and contained 3.25 ppm Au and 2.4 ppm Ag. 
This is not believed to be an exposure of the vein system 
developed by the Falls Creek Mine as it strikes N55°W and 
dips moderately to steeply northeast. 

Resource Assessment 

The Skeen-Lechner veins contain a combined identified 
resource of 10,000 st with a weighted-average grade of 0.82 
oz/st Au and 0.3 oz/st Ag. This estimate is based upon using 
a length of 200 ft, a thickness of 2 ft, and a depth of 100 
ft for the upper vein and a length of 360 ft, thickness of 2 
ft, and a depth of 180 ft for the lower vein. A tonnage fac- 
tor of 12 was used for both veins. Nearly 4,000 st of the total 
has been previously mined. No resource data are available 
for the Falls Creek vein. 



The Skeen-Lechner deposit has high mineral develop- 
ment potential based upon samples collected and past pro- 
duction. The Falls Creek Mine has unknown mineral 
development potential since it could not be accessed. Addi- 
tional exploration, including detailed mapping, surface 
trenching, and sampling of these properties, appears 
warranted. 

East Point Mine 

The East Point Mine, mill, and workings are at an eleva- 
tion of 4,500 ft on the east side of a small glacier, 3 miles 
east of the Seward Highway and 1 mile north of Falls Creek 
(fig. 17). 

History and Production 

The mineralization was discovered in 1924 by John 
Dryer, a packer for the Crown Point Mine (39) who per- 
formed some development work and recovered a few ounces 
of gold for his efforts. Additional production occurred be- 
tween 1940 and 1945 from a surface excavation near the 
present site of the cookhouse. Patrick Bogan and partners 
developed an incline and removed approximately 750 st of 
high-grade ore between 1954 and 1956. Due to the death 
of one of the partners, the mine ceased operation in 1956, 
and the portal was closed. Total recorded production is 1,725 
oz Au and 479 oz Ag from 1,183 st of ore (table 10). 



Table 10.— Recorded gold-silver production 
from East Point Mine 



Year 



Ore, st 



Recovery, oz 



Au 



Ag 



1928 

1940 

1941 

1945 

1954 

1955 

1956 

Total .... 

e Estimate. 



Operating Data 



NA 

e 100 

22 

e 300 

520 

47 

194 



4 
133 
88 
158 
209 
318 
815 



1 
26 
26 
49 
62 
89 
226 



1,183 



1,725 



479 



NA Not available. 



The subsurface workings, reported to consist of 100 ft 
of drift and 70 ft of winze and stopes, are currently inac- 
cessible due to closure of the portal and the reported 
presence of water (or ice) in the workings (36). The remain- 
ing surface structures, consisting of living quarters and mill, 
have been badly damaged by rock falls from the vertical 
cliff face above. The mine is in an extremely hazardous loca- 
tion because of the rock falls and steep glacial and bedrock 
slopes that must be negotiated to reach it. 



Geologic Setting 

O'Neill (36), who examined the mine in 1960, has writ- 
ten the only available description of the East Point vein: 

This is a fissure vein in slate bedrock that strikes 
N55°E and dips 45°-60°SE. It is a strong, persis- 
tent vein, which can be traced on the surface of the 
cliff face for several hundred feet. Other veins are 
also visible along the mountain above this vein. 



37 



The vein cuts the bedding of the country rock be- 
tween twenty and thirty degrees. The stoped area 
of the vein was about 6-feet thick though it pinches 
at both faces of the lower drift. The width of the 
vein at the northeast face is 8-inches and at the 
southwest face it is 12-inches. The mineralization 
is somewhat banded in a moderately hard white 
quartz. Other minerals visible are arsenopyrite 
and pyrite. 

Bureau Work 

Brief examinations of the property were made in 1980 
and again in 1982. Falling rock made the visits extremely 
risky. The vein was exposed after digging approximately 
150 ft north of the cookhouse. There the vein is 4 in thick, 
strikes N25° to 30°E, and dips 40°SE. The quartz contains 
disseminated grains and veinlets of pyrite, arsenopyrite, 
minor galena, sphalerite, and gold. Three samples collected 
by O'Neill in 1960 and two Bureau samples (4838 and 7139) 
contained up to 6 oz/st Au and 2 oz/st Ag (appendix). 

Resource Assessment 

O'Neill (36) calculated that over 3,700 st of ore grading 
2.35 oz/st Au and 0.5 oz/st Ag occurs on the property. Data 
from smelter returns and samples collected by O'Neill and 
the Bureau indicate that the East Point vein is high grade. 
The weighted average of six shipments to the Tacoma 
Smelter in 1955 and 1956, as summarized by O'Neill, was 
4.92 oz/st Au and 1.37 oz/st Ag. 

The past production history, sample data, and a discus- 
sion with Patrick Bogan indicate that this property has high 
mineral development potential and that additional explora- 
tion is warranted. Preliminary evaluation should include 
geologic mapping to establish the relationship between the 
East Point, Crown Point, and Skeen-Lechner veins; reopen- 
ing of the portal to allow for detailed subsurface sampling 
of the vein; and sampling of the vein at the surface. The 
unsafe nature of the terrain cannot be overemphasized. Pro- 
tective measures should be taken, including the use of 
climbing gear, hard hats, and rock shelters. 

SUMMIT LAKE-PALMER CREEK AREA 

Approximately 50 lode gold deposits have been iden- 
tified in the Summit Lake-Palmer Creek area. Five of these 
deposits were chosen for description below because of their 
significant past production and/or moderate to high poten- 
tial for future development; they are the Gilpatrick, 
Heaston-Oracle, Hirshey-Lucky Strike, and Nearhouse 
Mines, and the Summit Vein prospect. In addition, the 
characteristics and development potential of two mineral- 
ized dikes in the area are discussed. Other deposits in the 
area are summarized in a previous report (18). 

Gilpatrick Mine 

The Gilpatrick Mine is on the south side of the divide 
between Summit and Slate Creeks, 1 mile west of the 
Seward Highway, at an elevation between 2,400 and 3,400 
ft (fig. 22). 

History and Production 

J. C. Gilpatrick first recognized gold-bearing quartz 
veins in the Summit-Slate Creek area in 1906 and 



discovered the mineralized Gilpatrick dike in 1908 (26). 
Several leaseholders produced minor quantities of gold be- 
tween 1908 and 1935. The United Mining and Development 
Co. took over the property in 1936 and subsequently con- 
structed a mill and performed considerable development 
work (42, 44). Production commenced in 1937 and continued 
until 1948. Little activity beyond assessment work occurred 
until 1985 when a road was constructed to the mine and 
the workings were partially reopened. Total recorded pro- 
duction was 3,545 oz Au and 1,099 oz Ag from 3,664 st of 
ore (table 11). 

Table 1 1 .—Recorded gold-silver production 
from Gilpatrick Mine 



Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 


Au 


Ag 


1914 


10 

16 

16 

NA 

NA 

142 

105 

1,198 

700 

387 

40 

e 150 

e 225 

e 575 

100 


24 

19 

77 

31 

168 

112 

262 

1,442 

564 

398 

35 

56 

89 

227 

41 


NA 


1916 


20 


1919 


40 


1 934 


NA 


1 937 


62 


1938 


33 


1939 


89 


1940 


451 


1941 


155 


1942 


117 


1 944 


10 


1 945 


17 


1946 


25 


1947 


68 


1948 


12 






Total 


3,664 


3,545 


1,099 


e Estimate. 


NA Not available. 







Operating Data 

The Gilpatrick Mine originally consisted of seven claims 
along the Gilpatrick dike on the divide between Summit 
and Slate Creeks (fig. 23). A gravity-fed mill, destroyed by 
an avalanche during the winter of 1979-80, was located in 
Slate Creek valley. Development work consisted of three 
adits at elevations of 2,850, 3,300, and 3,400 ft and 
numerous prospect pits on the north side of Slate Creek. 
A trench at an elevation of 2,400 ft and additional prospect 
pits are exposed on the south side of Slate Creek. The up- 
per adit is currently accessible. Portions of the middle adit 
were reopened in 1985, but entry is considered hazardous. 

Roehm (42), while working for the Alaska Territorial 
Department of Mines, visited the mine in 1941 and de- 
scribed the operations occurring at that time: 

Operations were resumed on March 26 of this 
season with one shift in the mine. June 3 the mill 
resumed operations and 120 tons of ore was milled 
during a period of 29 days. A total of seven men 
have been employed, five of which were in the mine 
and two in the mill. 

Underground development to date this season 
consisted of 170 feet of drift and some stoping. 
Development work has been confined to No. 2 tun- 
nel, elevation 3,300 feet. This tunnel driven along 
the Gilpatrick dike, has a length of 470 feet. A 
raise 230 feet in from the portal extends to No. 3 
tunnel above. The ore mined and milled by this 
company has been from a small ore shoot between 
No. 2 and No. 3 tunnels. Two small crosscuts, one 
40 feet and one 20 feet, with drift, raise and stope, 
make up the workings on this level. On date of visit 
the ore and dike both were lost in the end of No. 
2 tunnel. Since an offset of 60 feet is shown on the 



38 



m^'i CK. 



■p~". 



T 



o 
o 



I49°30' 
i * 







•tteorhouse ^tin^ '} v ';' ~M 

fcenai Star prospect 

* ° 



Hlrshey - "^i 




/ Palmer Creek dike \ 



L^7 y Strlfct Wwi/fTtcldy 8«r |Mro.i«t Q 



O &j 



/ / 



60°45' — 



O 
O 






Colorado prospect O 




Gllpatrfc* ytotptc 






Shell prosf 

ISTTi 



1 









0/ , < 



O 



. O 






o 



>$ 



0/(tH«aston-Orople Mind 

rrirnit ar&sj&ct 
iitpatne* wine 



^OjfrSttirimit gro*ftect 






O ^ 






.,o 



Bcse odopted from US G S I ■ 250,000 Seward quodiongle 



Seal e , miles 
Contour interval, 200ft 



LEGEND 
O Known mineral deposit 
# Major deposit discussed in report 
Mineralized dike 



I 

N 



FIGURE 22.— Locations of important lode gold deposits in Summit Lake-Palmer Creek area. 






39 




Bom adopted from U.S.G.S. S«ward(C-7) 1 : 63,360 guodronglt 



FIGURE 23.— Sample Location map for Gilpatrick Mine and Summit Vein prospect. 



surface of the dike, due to a south fold rather than 
fault displacement, a crosscut into the footwall 
near the face of the tunnel has been started. The 
ore bodies occur as curved lenses alongside the 
Gilpatrick dike and in south plunging structures 
formed by the south folding of the dike in the slate 
graywacke sediments. 

The mill has been nearly completely refurnished 
since its original construction two years ago. Two 
Fairbanks Morse diesel engines, one 25 hp and the 
other 15 hp, furnish power via belt to the main 
shaft line. The ore is trammed from the mine to 
the mill via a 3,000 ft aerial gravity tram with 
7/8-inch cable, 5/8-inch carrier cable, and 700 lb 
buckets. Thence it is dumped into a 26-ton ore bin 



which feeds a 9 x 12-inch Denver crusher with 
fines passing through a 1/2 inch rod grizzly to a 
65-ton ore bin below. From this ore bin a Gibson 
rotary feeder supplies material for the 25-ton 
Denver Equipment ball mill. The mill grinds to 
40-mesh and the flow is pumped with a centrifugal 
Denver sand pump to a Denver Equipment jig 
located above the ball mill in which 70 percent of 
the gold is recovered in a concentrate which is 
amalgamated in an amalgam barrel. The oversize 
from the mill is fed to a Denver Equipment rake 
type classifier with overflow passing over a 30-inch 
x 6-ft plate and oversize returning to mill circuit. 
The overflow from the jig passes over a 30-inch x 
6-ft plate and into the classifier. 



40 



Considerable development work must have occurred 
after Roehm's visit, because a total of 846 oz Au and 249 
oz Ag was produced after 1941 (68). 

Geologic Setting 

Mineralized veins at the Gilpatrick Mine are hosted by 
Valdez Group slate and graywacke and the Gilpatrick dike. 
Tuck (65) described the Gilpatrick dike and pertinent struc- 
tural relationships in some detail: 

The dike ranges in width from 1 to 12 feet, with 
an average of 4 to 5 feet. It is best exposed in the 
lower tunnel. Here it lies in slate, the cleavage of 
which strikes north to N15°E and dips 65°-85°E. 
The trend of the dike, which stands vertical, is 
closely parallel to the cleavage of the slate but in 
general is a few degrees east of north. The dike is 
cut by a number of transverse faults that cut across 
it in a direction N60 °E and with a dip from 75 °NW 
to vertical. Along these transverse faults the move- 
ment has invariably been the same, so in drifting 
on the dike and finding it offset, a good general 
rule is to turn to the right along the fault surface. 
The relative movement has been such that the 
north block has moved down and to the right in 
respect to the south block. In some places where 
slickensided surfaces indicated a purely vertical 
movement, the offset to the right can be explained 
only by assuming that the dike has a steep west 
dip. The horizontal component of the movement 
where actually observed is from a few inches to 15 
feet. 

In addition to these transverse faults there are 
numerous faults that parallel the dike, as in many 
places there is several inches of gouge between the 
dike and the wall rock, and both faces may be 
highly polished from the movement. Between the 
lower and middle tunnels there are probably 
several transverse faults, as the position of the dike 
is considerably to the right of the point where it 
should be expected if the strike of the lower tun- 
nel were projected. The middle tunnel as observed 
at the portal trends N7 ° W and has been driven in 
massive graywacke. 

At the upper tunnel the dike strikes about north 
and shows a width of at least 10 feet. The west wall 
has more the character of graywacke. The dike is 
cut again here by faults that strike N45°-60°E and 
stand about vertical. 

Associated with the dike and in general parallel 
with it are quartz veins, 2 to 12 inches in width. 
At some places these veins lie at the contact of the 
dike and the country rock; elsewhere they may be 
separated from the contact by 2 to 10 feet of slate 
or graywacke. The dike itself has been highly frac- 
tured in many places, and the fractures have been 
filled with vein material. The fractures may be ir- 
regular but more commonly have a similar orien- 
tation, suggesting that the deformation of the dike 
is due to a regional stress. The veins and veinlets 
in the dike range in width from a fraction of an 
inch to 8 or 10 inches; they do not extend from the 
dike into the country rock but terminate abruptly 
and are apparently due to the greater brittleness 
of the dike rock in comparison with the country 
rock. 



The vein filling is predominantly quartz with 
small amounts of calcite. Contemporaneous with 
the quartz are small amounts of arsenopyrite, 
pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and free gold. The 
massive dike rock contains many well-formed 
crystals of arsenopyrite. The fracturing of the dike 
has been highly erratic, and the amount of quartz 
filling varies greatly from place to place. In some 
places the dike may contain as much as 35 percent 
vein material; in others it may be massive and 
blocky with negligible quartz. 

The valuable minerals are in the quartz stringers 
and veinlets, but the richness is not proportional 
to the amount of quartz. The tenor is very erratic, 
although in places free gold is easily visible. Only 
very thorough sampling as well as systematic 
development could determine the feasibility of 
mining the dike. 

A northwest-striking vein containing visible gold occurs 
above the upper-level portal, indicating that structures in 
addition to those described above should be examined. This 
vein parallels the Summit Vein. 



Bureau Work 

Surface and subsurface sampling (4429, 4719-4720, 
4783, 5361, 5646-5649, and 7191) and sketch mapping were 
done in 1980 and 1981. The lower two adits were caved and 
inaccessible. The upper level was open and was sketched 
in order to show structural relationships, geology, and sam- 
ple site locations (fig. 24). Quantitative data available for 
10 samples collected from the Gilpatrick claims are listed 
in the appendix. The samples contained up to 8.5 oz/st Au 
and 3.2 oz/st Ag. Visible gold is readily found in quartz 
specimens collected from the dumps and from the northwest- 
striking vein exposed above the portal of the upper level 
(sample 5649). 



Resource Assessment 

Sampling indicated the presence of an identified 
resource of 2,000 st with a weighted-average grade of 0.89 
oz/st Au and 0.65 oz/st Ag. This estimate is based upon a 
strike length of 470 ft, a thickness of 0.5 ft, a depth of 100 
ft, and a tonnage factor of 12. However, there is not enough 
information available to allow meaningful resource calcula- 
tions for this property. Due to its production history, the 
presence of visible gold in exposed quartz, and high assays 
obtained to date, additional exploration is warranted. The 
caved workings should be opened, mapped, and sampled; 
and drilling should be used to determine the amount of vein 
offset along the right-lateral structure mapped in the up- 
per level and to determine whether significant enough 
quantity and quality of mineralization remains to warrant 
additional development. Based upon available information, 
this property has high mineral development potential. 



Summit Vein Prospect 

The Summit Vein prospect is about 1 mile west of the 
Seward Highway near the crest of the divide between Slate 
and Summit Creeks at an elevation of 3,400 ft (figs. 22-23). 



-.-' 



41 



5647, 4783 




Kv 



LEGEND 



Cretaceous Valdez Group 



I- . .' 1 Gilpatrick dike 



Quartz vein, showing dip 

estteo Shear zone, showing dip, relative horizontal 

■ l ^c vr-cv . component of movement, and plunge of slickensides 

Vertical contact between dike and Cretaceous 
Valdez Group 

X5649 Sample site 



10 



Scale, ft 



Portal el 3,400 f 



FIGURE 24.— Sample location map for upper level of Gilpatrick Dike Mine 



History 



No mention of this prospect was made in the literature 
until Tuck (65) visited it in 1931. Apparently the vein was 
prospected along with several other veins in the area dur- 
ing development of the Gilpatrick Mine. No production has 
been recorded from this deposit, although small quantities 
of ore may have been processed by the Gilpatrick Mine 
owners. Trenching and pitting have occurred at the 
southeast and northwest ends of the vein. 

Geologic Setting 

Mineralization consists of a quartz-carbonate vein 
averaging 12 to 14 in thick over a strike length of at least 
235 ft. The vein strikes N30°W and dips steeply to the 
northeast. The quartz is locally vuggy and contains galena, 
arsenopyrite, sphalerite, pyrite, and gold. Free gold is pres- 
ent and can be panned from crushed quartz. The host rock 
is Valdez Group slate and graywacke and shows con- 
siderable folding in the area. Axial plane cleavage strikes 
N20°E and dips vertically. Bedding is locally apparent with 
north to northeast strikes and variable dips from to 90 ° 
where it has been dragged along longitudinal faults strik- 
ing N20°E. 

Bureau Work 

Surface sampling was done in 1980 and 1981. Ten 
samples (4781-4782, 4784-4787, 5650-5652, and 5683) col- 



lected by the Bureau contained up to 5.15 oz/st Au and 3.5 
oz/st Ag (appendix). The sample locations are shown on 
figure 23. Grades appear to be highest on the northwest end 
of the vein and to diminish to the southeast. 

Resource Assessment 

Based upon surface sampling, an identified resource of 
3,400 st with a weighted-average grade of 2.4 oz/st Au and 
1.6 oz/st Ag occurs at this deposit. This estimate is based 
upon a strike length of 260 ft, a thickness of 1.2 ft, a depth 
of 130 ft, and a tonnage factor of 12. This deposit could easily 
be developed in conjunction with veins located at the 
Gilpatrick Mine. The Summit Vein prospect has high 
mineral development potential. Additional exploration, in- 
cluding surface trenching and sampling and detailed map- 
ping, is warranted. 

Heaston-Oracle Mine 

The Heaston-Oracle Mine is on Summit Creek about 1 
mile west of the Seward Highway between elevations of 
1,800 and 3,500 ft (figs. 22-25). 



History and Production 

Robert B. Heaston discovered the Heaston-Oracle Vein 
in 1921 (48) and completed minor development work 
between 1921 and 1929, when the mill site and two claims 



42 



S 



Johnson Cab^t J| 

4774-6, 5665 






J J 




LEGEND 
Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 

»_ Adit, caved 

X4777 Sample site 



1050 2100 
I I 



Scale, ft 
Contour interval. 500 ft 



I U.S.G.S. SawordfC-7) I 63,360 quOdfongK 



FIGURE 25.— Sample location map for Oracle Mine. 



were patented. The Alaska Oracle Corp. was established 
in 1930 and commenced extensive development work and 
construction of a mill. Minor production and considerable 
sampling were completed in 1931. Ralph Reed optioned the 
property in 1935, continued development work, and con- 
structed a new mill. Production records are incomplete, but 
apparently production occurred during 1921 to 1922, 1937 
to 1941, and again in the late 1940's to early 1950's. Total 
recorded production was 1,274 oz Au and 256 oz Ag, with 
grades averaging between 1 and 2 oz/st Au. 

Operating Data 

The main workings consist of a 900-ft crosscut, 550 ft 
of drift, 215 ft of raise, 25 ft of winze, and considerable stop- 
ing (34). Two caved portals, one on the north side of the creek 
at 1,800 ft above sea level, 200 ft west of the mill, and the 
other on the south side of the creek at 1,900 ft above sea 
level, 1,000 ft west of the mill, were used to access the 
workings. 

Figure 26 consists of plan and cross-sectional views of 
the workings compiled from a company mine map prepared 
by George Nelson (34) in 1931 and development descriptions 
by Roehm (42, 48) and Tuck (65). Several hundred feet of 



workings on the northern extension of the vein occur on 
the north side of Summit Creek across from the caved portal 
to the 1,900-ft level, at elevations between 2,000 and 2,400 
ft. The portals are caved, so none of these adits could be 
investigated. Additional prospect pits and trenching occur 
on the south side of the creek at elevations as high as 3,500 
ft. The property can be reached from the Seward Highway 
via an unmaintained mine road which was washed out com- 
pletely several hundred feet east of the mill site. 



Geologic Setting 

The Heaston-Oracle Vein is hosted by Valdez Group 
metasediments. Tuck (65) described the geology and 
mineralogy of the vein as follows: 

The vein strikes N15°E and has an average dip 
of 60 C W. In width it ranges from a few inches to 
3 feet, with an average of about 12 to 14-inches 
over a length of 175 feet on the lower level. The 
country rock is interbedded slate and graywacke, 
in which the bedding is usually very obscure on 
account of the gradation in texture of the slate to 



rf*- 



43 



the graywacke. The finer textured phases possess 
good cleavage, which has a general strike of N15 °E 
and dips ranging from 60 °W to 80 °E. In a few 
places where the bedding could be distinguished 
it is parallel to the cleavage. The graywacke is 
usually very massive, with only scattered joints. 

The vein occupies a fracture along which move- 
ment has taken place prior to ore deposition. This 
fracture in general parallels the structure of the 
graywacke and slate but here and there deviates 
from it, so that as a result of the movement along 
the fracture there is in some places a footwall of 
graywacke and a hanging wall of slate. It has been 
thought that these walls determine the position of 
the vein and that the vein formed at the contact 
of the slate and graywacke; but this is only a coin- 
cidence: the position of the vein was determined 
by the fracture. As shown by both the upper and 
the lower levels, the south end of the vein takes 
a flat roll into the footwall, and in the development 
work this roll was not followed out. The position 
of the roll on both levels and the development in 
the north end of the lower level, where the ore 
pinches out, suggest that the ore shoot has a rake 
of 20 °-45 °SE. Whether the ore feathers out or con- 
tinues at the point where it takes the flat roll re- 
mains to be proved by further development work. 

Slickensides and grooves having the same rake 
as the ore body were observed on the lower level. 
On both upper and lower levels footwall stringers 
are common, particularly in the massive 
graywacke. These stringers or gash veins have the 
appearance of quartz-filled tension fractures, and 
their position confirms the impression gained from 
the fault surfaces that the premineral movement 
was such that the hanging wall moved to the ore 
shoot. 

Not all the movement occurred prior to the 
mineralization, as is shown by the slickensided and 
sheared quartz. The postmineral movement has 
been in general parallel or closely parallel to the 
vein, as no transverse faults were observed. The 
weathering of the vein material has proceeded to 
depths of 50 to 75 feet below the surface, so that 
the quartz is very friable and iron-stained. 

The minerals contained are arsenopyrite, pyrite, 
galena, and sphalerite, named in decreasing order 
of abundance, but in total they probably form only 
0.5 percent of the ore. The gangue mineral is 
chiefly quartz with small amounts of calcite. The 
pyrite is usually well crystallized and commonly 
impregnates the wall rock for a few inches. The 
galena is fine grained and is disseminated in the 
quartz. The arsenopyrite is commonly euhedral 
and as a rule is confined to fractures in the quartz. 
The sphalerite is very scant and is of the fer- 
ruginous variety. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and 
molybdenite have also been reported. Gold occurs 
both free and with sulfides. Free gold is difficult 
to find in hand specimens, as it is apparently very 
fine. 

Bureau Work 

Surface sampling was done in 1980 and 1981. Quan- 
titative data available for six samples (4774-4778 and 5665) 
collected from the Heaston-Oracle Mine by Bureau crews 



are listed in the appendix. The sample locations are shown 
in figures 25 and 26. Sample 4774, a chip sample collected 
across an 8-in-thick exposure above the collapsed 1,900-ft 
portal on the south side of Summit Creek, assayed 1.64 oz/st 
Au and 0.71 oz/st Ag. Selected samples of the vein were 
found to contain visible specks of gold, generally less than 
0.03 in diameter, as well as arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, 
sphalerite, molybdenite, and minor chalcopyrite. 

Resource Assessment 

Extensive sampling of the vein in the 1,800- and 1,900-ft 
levels (fig. 26) by the Alaska Oracle Corp. in 1930 indicated 
that values averaged approximately 2 oz/st Au over a vein 
length of 150 ft, a depth of 110 ft, and a thickness of 14 in 
(34). Considerable stoping is reported to have occurred be- 
tween the two levels during the 1937-41 production period, 
which likely resulted in the removal of the majority of those 
resources. However, there is no information indicating that 
the portion of the ore shoot which reportedly continues 
below the 1,800-ft level was ever developed. 

Based upon recorded mine history, the indicated grade 
of the vein, and possible continuation of the vein at depth, 
additional evaluation of the property appears to be war- 
ranted. In 1984, the crosscut was reopened to allow 
systematic sampling of the remaining vein exposed in the 
old workings. Drilling is needed to ascertain whether the 
vein continues at depth and to evaluate the characteristics 
of the host rocks. Further development should include the 
sinking of a shaft (inclined or vertical) in order to gain ac- 
cess to and develop lower levels on the vein. However, the 
extreme avalanche hazard near the current surface ex- 
posure of the vein should be considered prior to develop- 
ment activities. Avalanches probably accounted for use of 
the 900-ft crosscut to reach the vein, since this access al- 
lowed the portal to be located near the mill, where the least 
avalanche hazard exists. This deposit has high mineral 
development potential. 

Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine 

This mine is near the head of Palmer Creek. The mill 
site is at an elevation of 2,200 ft, on the east side of the 
creek; and the workings are at an elevation between 3,200 
and 3,400 ft, 0.75 mile south of the mill (fig. 22). 

History and Production 

John Hirshey originally discovered the deposit in 1911. 
He operated the mine from 1911 through 1921 using a 
1-stamp mill (47). The Alaska Mining Co. purchased the 
mine in 1922, constructed a road from Hope to the mine, 
and installed a 5-stamp mill with a jaw crusher, wilfley 
table, and amalgamation plates. Following several years 
of production, the mine reverted to Hirshey in 1927 (47). 
Sporadic production occurred under his management 
through 1939. A cyanide plant was installed to rework the 
tailings in 1931, but the venture proved unprofitable (65). 
No development work has occurred since 1940. Total re- 
corded production is 6,094 oz Au and 4,699 oz Ag from 6,310 
st of ore (table 12). Production records may be incomplete. 

Operating Data 

Three working levels at elevations of 3,200, 3,300, and 
3,400 ft were used to develop the mine. Currently, all levels 
are mostly inaccessible due to caving and/or icing conditions 



44 



PLAN VIEW 



North drift 




Main crosscut / \ 
el 1,800 ft, I 

length 919 ft \*~ 



CROSS SECTION A-A' 

With drifts and stopes projected 

to the planes of the cross section 




South drift 



Kv 



_i 



North drift 
LEGEND 

Cretaceous Valdez Group 
Approximate limits of known stoping 



— • — Approximate limits of ore shoot 

'...:. %S£'V Caved portal 

=i Adit 

& Raise 



4774-6 



X4774 Sample s 



ite 



FIGURE 26.— Map of Oracle Mine workings. 



ff 



45 



Table 12.— Recorded gold-silver production 
from Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine 



Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 


Au 


Ag 


1914 


38 

95 

30 

40 

50 

55 

55 

150 

e 300 

e 250 

e 800 

e 120 

e 314 

450 

e 746 

e 600 

934 

800 

NA 

NA 

212 

84 

150 

37 


394 

361 

94 

133 

139 

335 

169 

345 

643 

218 

761 

114 

212 

328 

746 

307 

412 

145 

105 

2 

29 

28 

65 

9 


10 


1915 


NA 


1916 . 


4 


1917 


55 


1918 . . 


100 


1919 


186 


1920 


131 


1921 . . 


276 


1922 


514 


1923 


1,829 


1924 


906 


1925 


65 


1926 


78 


1 928 


94 


1 929 


186 


1 930 


112 


1931 


100 


1932 


NA 


1933 


NA 


1934 


NA 


1935 


12 


1936 


11 


1938 


24 


1939 


6 






Total 


6,310 


6,094 


4,699 


"Estimate. 


NA Not available. 







which occur within a few feet of the portals. Figure 27 is 

a sketch of the mine workings as they existed in 1931 (65). 

Tuck (65) described the mine in 1931 as follows: 

The underground workings consist of three levels 
at vertical intervals of 100 feet. At the present time 
the upper tunnel, which lies about 30 feet below 
the discovery, has caved to a point within 30 feet 
of the portal, and therefore the greater part is in- 
accessible. The middle tunnel, about 500 feet in 
length, is in good condition and is used only for ven- 
tilation and safety, as practically all of the ground 
between the upper and middle levels has been 
stoped. The lower tunnel is the present working 
tunnel, and nearly all of the ground above it has 
been stoped. The underground work at present con- 
sists of development on the east face of the lower 
level and the stoping of the few remaining blocks 
above it. 



Geologic Setting 

The country rock is Valdez Group slate, the cleavage 
of which has a strike ranging from north to N35°E, with 
a dip of 60° to 80 °E. Near the surface, the slate may show 
an inclination as low as 40 °E, owing to surface creep. Bed- 
ding in the slate was not visible underground. The only 
place bedding was observed was at the portal of the lower 
tunnel, where it had been accented by weathering. It was 
folded at that location, but in general was horizontal to 
gently dipping. 

Tuck (65) discussed the geologic setting in detail: 

The vein occurs in a curving and branching frac- 
ture that cuts across the cleavage of the slate at 
approximately right angles, so that the strike of 
the vein ranges from N45°W to west. The dip of 
the vein ranges from 20 °N on the west end of the 
middle level to 75 °NE on the east end. The average 
inclination is about 40 °N. The width of the vein 



ranges from a few inches to 5 ft, with an average 
of about 18 inches. On the lower level the vein is 
about 300 feet long, but it is not all minable. On 
the middle level it is about 350 feet long, but here 
also it is not all ore. The stoping length on both 
the lower and middle levels is about 200 feet. 
Measurements on the upper level were not 
available, but it is probable that the length was 
somewhat less, owing to the slope of the hill, as 
on the upper level the vein crops out and a portion 
has been eroded, whereas, on the lower level and 
probably also the middle level the vein pinches out 
before reaching the surface. This is due not only 
to the slope of the hill but also to the fact that the 
ore shoot rakes to the northeast. On both the mid- 
dle and the lower levels the vein curves, and the 
apex of the curve occurs in the middle of the shoot, 
so that structurally it has the appearance of a 
plunging nose. This curvature appears to increase 
in depth, and it is probable that the vein may split 
into two, there is a suggestion of this on the lower 
level, where the vein splits at the apex of the curve. 
On the dip of the vein developments have proved 
a distance of 350 feet, with ore still showing in the 
bottom of the lower level. Vertically, this means 
a proved depth of about 250 feet. 

Associated with the vein is considerable gouge, 
sheared slate, and in a few places a vein breccia. 
Considerable postmineral movement has taken 
place, but this has been in the nature of small 
faults parallel to the vein, which have sheared the 
vein material, forming considerable gouge between 
the vein and the country rock, and at places have 
sheared the slate as well as the quartz. In a few 
places the movement has caused slicing in the vein 
closely parallel to the walls, giving it a greater 
width, but elsewhere it has caused pinching, mak- 
ing the vein exceedingly difficult to follow and 
greatly increasing the cost of the development. The 
walls are usually well-defined, and the ore breaks 
clean from them. In a few places both footwall and 
hangingwall stringers are abundant. In several 
places irregular masses of what appears to be a dif- 
ferent quartz intercept the veins and increase the 
cost of development, as they carry little gold. 

The mineralogy of the vein is typical of the 
district. The vein material consists chiefly of quartz 
with small amounts of calcite and ankerite. The 
metallic minerals, in order of abundance, are 
arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and free 
gold with the arsenopyrite greatly in excess of the 
others. The proportion of sulfides to vein quartz 
varies greatly from place to place, ranging from 
a fraction of 1 pet to as much as 20 percent, the 
average being about 2 percent. The gold occurs 
both free and combined with the sulfides, but there 
does not seem to be any direct relation between the 
amount of the sulfides and gold— in fact, the richer 
portions of the vein have the smaller percentage 
of sulfides. 

The gold is almost entirely in the vein material. 
In some of the richer portions of the vein the 
wallrock may carry some gold but in general not 
enough to warrant mining. Assays are as high as 
several hundred dollars to the ton and usually are 
highest where the vein has a width of 6 to 12 
inches. It has been said that the upper level and 



46 



the discovery cut contained very rich ore, portions 
of which averaged several hundred dollars to the 
ton. It was rich enough to make a profit with a 
1-stamp mill before a road was put into the district, 
when handling of the ore several times from the 
mine to the mill was necessary. It is probable that 
the ore mined from the lower level averages around 
$40 a ton, although portions running much less 
than this have been unstoped. In a few places 
where the footwall stringers are abundant $3 to 
$5 channel samples have been obtained from 4 ft 
wide widths of quartz stringers and slate. As 
elsewhere, the mineralization has been erratic, and 
close sampling is necessary, although in general 
the oxidized and sheared quartz, which can be eas- 
ily identified with the eye, is found to carry the 
most gold. 

Figure 5 is a photograph of the Lucky Strike vein where 
it is exposed in a small raise located in the upper level. The 
vein is banded in appearance, 18 in thick, and strikes east- 
west with a dip of 60° to the north. Assays exceeding 1 oz/st 
Au have been collected from this location by the USGS (29, 
65-66); Roehm (47), of the Alaska Territorial Department 
of Mines; and the Bureau (samples 5639-5643). 



Bureau Work 

During 1981, the Bureau sampled the accessible por- 
tions of the lower and upper levels of the mine (fig. 27). Five 
samples (5639-5643) contained up to 99 ppm Au and 65 ppm 
Ag (appendix). 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 2,100 st with a weighted- 
average grade of 1.25 oz/st Au and 0.65 oz/st Ag occurs be- 
tween the lower and upper levels of the mine. This estimate 
was made using a strike length of 75 ft, a thickness of 1.1 
ft, a known depth of 300 ft, and a tonnage factor of 12. Due 
to the inaccessibility of the workings, it was not possible 
to obtain meaningful estimates of the mineral resources re- 
maining in the mine. Based upon Tuck's description (65), 
it appears unlikely that significant tonnages of high-grade 
ore are accessible from existing workings. However, Tuck 
(65) pointed out that 

The mineral associations would suggest that 
there is an excellent chance of continuation in 
depth if suitable structural conditions exist. The 
fractures in the district are as a rule very erratic 
and do not persist over any great length or depth, 
although in general the depth exceeds the length. 

A drilling program would be required to test the possibil- 
ity of an extension at depth. Mineralization of lower grade 
(less than 0.3 oz/st Au) may not have been stoped and could 
exist in the current workings. The deposit has high mineral 
development potential. 

Nearhouse Mine 

The Nearhouse Mine is on the south side of the divide 
between Palmer and Bear Creeks at elevations between 
2,800 and 3,100 ft (fig. 22). 



History and Production 

This property was discovered by I. Nearhouse in 1925 
(49). The first reference to this property in the literature 
was by Tuck (65) in 1931. He reported that considerable 
prospecting of the vein had preceded his visit. J. D. Bazard 
optioned the property in 1935 and formed the Gold Mint 
Mining Co. (49). Some development occurred over the next 
few years. The property was optioned by D wight Whiting 
and Carl Beal in 1940 for $35,000 (42). Roehm (42) reported 
that a bunkhouse, shed, and 200 ft of drifting were con- 
structed in 1941. An estimated 3,000 st of mineralized 
material has been removed from the mine. This material 
should have averaged 0.5 oz/st Au and up to 1 oz/st Ag, 
based upon early assays. However, total recorded produc- 
tion was 102 oz Au and 3 oz Ag from 22 st of ore mined from 
1937 to 1939. 

Operating Data 

A partially overgrown trail leads from Palmer Creek 
Road to a collapsed building at an elevation of 2,800 ft. A 
35-ft adit and a 450-ft adit with an 80-ft winze occur at eleva- 
tions of 3,050 ft and 3,100 ft, respectively (fig. 28). Some 
equipment, including a compressor, remains on the site. 
Dynamite and caps have been left in the west drift of the 
3,100-ft level. 

Geologic Setting 

The Nearhouse vein is bosted by Valdez Group rocks 
consisting of well-bedded, slightly metamorphosed siltstone 
and sandstone with a strike of N15°E and a dip of 60 °W 
at the portal of the 3,100-ft level. These rocks contain abun- 
dant sedimentary features, suggesting that the bedding is 
overturned. Felsic dikes occur nearby on the surface, and 
one was intercepted in the east drift. 

The mineralization consists of a banded and brecciated 
quartz vein averaging 20 in thick along the developed por- 
tion of the drift. The vein strikes N50° to 80 °W and dips 
60° to 90 °N. The banding is dark gray and is believed to 
be carbonaceous material. Metallic minerals include small 
amounts of arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and 
gold, collectively making up less than 0.5 pet of the vein 
material. The vein is cut off at both ends by transverse (left- 
lateral) faults. However, the vein has good continuity to the 
surface and to a depth of over 80 ft in the winze. 

Bureau Work 

Surface and subsurface sampling and some mapping in 
conjunction with USGS personnel were done in 1980 and 
1981. Twenty -four samples (4436, 4755-4769, 5610, and 
5801-5807) contained up to 15 ppm Au and 0.5 oz/st Ag (ap- 
pendix). The locations for samples collected in the 3,050- 
and 3,100-ft levels are shown on figure 28. 

Resource Assessment 

An identified resource of 6,400 st grading 0.2 oz/st Au 
and 0.3 oz/st Ag occurs at the Nearhouse Mine. This 
estimate is based upon a strike length of 250 ft, a thickness 
of 1.7 ft, a known depth of 180 ft, and a tonnage factor of 
12. The average grade is low, but potential for additional 
resources in the area exists. The Nearhouse Mine has 
moderate mineral development potential. Additional work 
is recommended, including geologic mapping at a large 
scale, surface trenching, sampling, and drilling. 



47 



lS5 



y 



1- 



% 



Kv 



% 



5639 



\\ 



Kv 



^r— Caved 
W 

V\ 



/. 



M 



sCio ! I 
■ T-'v Caved 1 .' I '. • -.'•v'WL, 

■ ■■ (/ N 

■\\ 



,n Folded brecciated 




LEGEND 



Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 
» • « » Quartz vein 



{.■ > Potential ore 



Fault, showing dip 



•vww. Shear zone 

ss „ Fold, showing attitude of axial plane and 
plunge of axis 

-l!? Strike and dip of bedding 



. SJ Strike and dip of joints 

Raise 

<%%\ st °P e 

=:=::- Adit el 3,200 ft 

==-.=:=: Adit el 3,300 ft 

: Adit el 3,400 ft 

X5639 Sample site 



25 50 75 

I I 1 



-J. 5 Strike and dip of foliation 



FIGURE 27.— Sample locations map for Hirshey-Lucky Strike Mine. 



48 



ADIT A 



rtz vein ranges from 2 in to 1 ft in width 



Scale, ft 



5801-5 

476i-2,4764 r 5\ winze is 

80 ft deep 




Scale, ft 



FIGURE 28.— Sample location map for Nearhouse Mine. 



-- 



49 



Mineralized Dikes 



Palmer Creek Dike 



The only intrusive rocks in the Summit Lake-Palmer 
Creek area are fine-grained felsic dikes that parallel folia- 
tion in the Valdez Group but are locally discordant to both 
foliation and bedding. Potassium-argon ages of approx- 
imately 53 m.y. were obtained from two hydrothermally 
altered and mineralized dikes in the Summit Lake-Palmer 
Creek area (30). These dikes are typically narrow, averag- 
ing less than 4 ft thick, but have been traced for distances 
up to 11 miles along strike. 

Fresh samples of these dikes appear greenish in hand 
specimen. They tend to become buff-colored upon weather- 
ing and spotted with hematite or limonite stains due to 
weathering of contained iron sulfides. 

Compositionally the dikes are either tonalite, 
granodiorite, or alkali granite (30). Plagioclase feldspar is 
the most common constituent, followed by quartz, chlorite, 
and calcite. The quartz occurs as a primary mineral, and 
additional quartz has also been introduced along with 
calcite as veins and replacement masses (65). Portions of 
the dikes contain arsenopyrite. Galena, sphalerite, pyrite, 
chalcopyrite, stibnite, and gold occur locally in the secon- 
dary quartz-carbonate veins and replacement masses. 

The Gilpatrick and Palmer Creek dikes deserve further 
discussion because of their potential for providing large- 
tonnage, low-grade resources and locally high-grade 
mineralization. 

Gilpatrick Dike 

The Gilpatrick dike can be traced for 11 miles from Slate 
Creek on the south to Donaldson Creek on the north (fig. 
22). The average width is estimated to be 6 ft, but the width 
is known to exceed 15 ft locally. The dike is most exposed 
at the Gilpatrick Mine, on the divide between Summit and 
Colorado Creek, and on the divide between Pass and 
Frenchy Creeks. 

The Gilpatrick dike is hosted by Valdez Group rocks and 
is highly fractured with locally occurring mineralized 
quartz-carbonate veins up to 8 in thick in the fractures. 
These veins contain arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, 
and gold. Deposits developed along the dike include the 
Gilpatrick Mine and the Colorado, Shell, and Gilpatrick pro- 
spects (fig. 22). Of these, only the Gilpatrick Mine has 
recorded production. 

Data from 16 samples of mineralized dike rock and 
nearby quartz veins collected from the Colorado, Shell, and 
Gilpatrick prospects are included in the appendix. Samples 
collected from the Shell prospect, containing up to 10.7 ppm 
Au and 13 ppm Ag, are not representative of the dike; they 
reflect the presence of adjacent locally higher grade gold- 
quartz veins. Similarly, a grab sample of mineralized quartz 
(4788) containing 14.5 ppm Au and 830 ppm Ag, collected 
from the dump of the Gilpatrick prospect, reflects the 
presence of locally high-grade mineralization but is not 
representative of the dike as a whole. Three samples of dike 
rock (4413, 5682 A, and 5682B) collected at the Gilpatrick 
prospect contained up to 0.66 ppm Au and 7.4 ppm Ag. 
Although the grades of the dike are low, the potential ton- 
nage is high. The Gilpatrick dike is estimated to contain 
an identified resource of 14 million st grading 0.02 oz/st Au 
and 0.2 oz/st Ag. This estimate is based upon a strike length 
of 56,000 ft, a thickness of 6 ft, a depth of 500 ft, and a ton- 
nage factor of 12. The Gilpatrick dike has low to moderate 
mineral development potential as a large-tonnage, low- 
grade gold-silver mine. 



The Palmer Creek dike can be traced for a distance of 
6 miles from the Palmer Creek Glacier on the south to the 
headwaters of Cub Creek on the north (fig. 22). This dike 
is most exposed in the vicinity of the Teddy Bear and Kenai 
Star prospects and along the hill slope between the two 
deposits (fig. 22). 

The dike strikes N15 °E and dips 65 °SE in Valdez Group 
slate and graywacke. Its average thickness is estimated to 
be 3 ft, but locally the dike is more than 8 ft thick. The dike 
rock is highly fractured, with numerous quartz-carbonate 
veins up to 6 in thick occupying the fractures. Arsenopyrite, 
chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and minor gold are present 
in the quartz-carbonate vein fracture fillings. 

Several deposits are spatially related to the dike. These 
include the Hirshey -Lucky Strike Mine and the Teddy Bear 
and Kenai Star prospects (fig. 22). Of these, the Hirshey- 
Lucky Strike Mine was a notable gold and silver producer 
with high-grade quartz ore. Six samples collected from the 
Teddy Bear (4431 and 7156) and Kenai Star (4433-4435 and 
4451) prospects contain up to 5.1 ppm Au and 2.2 ppm Ag 
(appendix). 

The Palmer Creek Dike contains an identified resource 
of 4 million st with an estimated grade of 0.03 oz/st Au and 
0.07 oz/st Ag. This estimate is based upon a strike length 
of 32,000 ft, a thickness of 3 ft, a cutoff depth of 500 ft, and 
a tonnage factor of 12. Although the grade is low, the poten- 
tial tonnage is high. The Palmer Creek dike has low to 
moderate mineral development potential as a large-tonnage, 
low-grade, gold-silver mine. 

GIRDWOOD AREA 

Six lode gold deposits have been identified in the Gird- 
wood area. Five of these have had recorded production. Two 
deposits, the Monarch and Jewel mines, are discussed below 
because of their significant past production and high 
mineral development potential. The other deposits are sum- 
marized in a previous report (18). 

Monarch Mine 

The Monarch Mine is approximately 8 miles from Gird- 
wood near the head and on the east side of Crow Creek 
valley at elevations between 2,880 and 3,550 ft (fig. 29). 

History and Production 

Conrad Hores originally discovered this deposit in 1909. 
Considerable development work, which resulted in only 
minor production, occurred from 1910 to 1912. Clyde Bren- 
ner relocated the property and transferred it to the Crow 
Creek Mining Co. in 1926 (64). H. I. Staser leased the prop- 
erty from the Crow Creek Mining Co. in 1928 but reassigned 
the property to the Crow Creek Mining Co. the same year. 
Minor production occurred in 1926 and 1928 using a 
1-stamp mill, small crusher, and amalgamation plate. The 
Bruno Augustino Mining Co. leased the property in 1931 
and commenced mining and development work, including 
the installation of a larger mill utilizing hydropower and 
three tram lines (37). Production began in 1933 and con- 
tinued through 1941 with only a limited quantity of gold 
being produced subsequent to the mine's closure during the 
World War II. The mill has burned, so no equipment of value 
remains on the site. Total recorded production, including 
that of the Jewel Mine, was 4,933 oz Au and 996 oz Ag (table 
13). 



50 



I49 c 



k A 



,'.- 



I Bfsd Cr< 



S^tirw'tiJRobMt y 

m4 



Ra«g^< p 



tvfrvr , 



MoU"- 



%ird Pt-^k 



I 






r 



o 



y! » ; ■ j." * 



■*4 



•Jewel Mine 



farttmHtttm 






■$■ 



Hit 



k i 



<r 



m* we 






v 



\. 



>A 



kf-IT, 



Base adopted from U.SG.S I 250,000 Anchorage ft Seward quadrangles 

LEGEND 



J 



Scale , miles 
Contour intervo I, 200 ft 



: 






V 



• • C H " 



O Known mineral deposit 

# Major deposit discussed in report 



N 



FIGURE 29.— Locations of important lode gold deposits in Girdwood area. 



Table 13.— Recorded gold-silver production from Monarch 
and Jewel Mines 





Year 


Ore, st 


Recovery, 


oz 




Au 


Ag 


1909-12 




NA 


Minor 

66 

67 

209 

917 

1,160 

709 

621 

268 

105 

236 

536 

8 

8 

23 


Minor 


1926 . 




NA 


NA 


1928 




NA 


NA 


1933 . . 




NA 


NA 


1934 .. . 




NA 


5 


1935 . 




NA 


221 


1936 . 




915 


184 


1 937 . . . 




1,247 


234 


1938 




512 


117 


1939 . 




290 


47 


1940 . . . 




321 


108 


1941 . . . 




184 


59 


1 942 . . . 




20 


5 


1945 . . 




12 


4 


1 947 . . . 




27 


12 










Total . 


'3,528 


4,933 


996 


NA Not 


available. 


'Since 1935. 







0*- 

Operating Data 

The Monarch Mine was developed on two westerly strik- 
ing, north-dipping, subparallel veins referred to as the north 
and south veins. Development in 1937 was reported (50) to 
have consisted of 950 ft of drift, 125 ft of crosscuts, 52 ft 
of winze, and 4 raises aggregating 100 ft (fig. 30). The south 
vein is developed by two levels at elevations of 3,200 and 
3,300 ft. The lower level is open to the face. The upper level 
is caved at the portal but can be entered through a stope 
that intersects the surface. The north vein was developed 
on two levels, at 3,285 and 3,420 ft, both of which are badly 
caved. A 60-ft-long adit was developed about 500 ft north 
of the north vein at an elevation of 3,500 ft to examine a 
north-striking molybdenum-chalcopyrite-bearing vein. This 
vein can be traced from the portal of the south vein about 
750 ft north-northeast to the portal of the 60-ft-long adit 
(fig. 31). Most of the stoping and production appears to have 
come from the upper level on the south vein. 

Roehm (50) described the mill equipment and operation 
as it existed in 1937 as follows: 

The mill machinery consists of a Wheeling jaw 
crusher, 15-ton Denver quartz mill with inside 
amalgamation, 40-mesh screens, a 5 x 5-foot 
amalgam plate, three-quarter size Straub concen- 
trating table. Contained in the same building is 
an Ingersoll-Rand single compressor, 12 x 14 
inches. Both mill and compressor are run by a 
5-foot Pelton wheel with a 153-foot head. 420 feet 
of pipe line and several hundred feet of flume lead 
the water to the Pelton, located on the side of the 
mill building. A 10-hp Fairbanks Morse gasoline 
engine is used for auxiliary power. A small air 
hoist is used on the tram to the Monarch. Three 
aerial trams are used, two 1500-foot trams to the 
Monarch north and south veins, and a new 
2500-foot tram to the Jewell Mine. A new trac- 
totrac, 20-hp, and a Chevrolet truck comprise the 
transportation equipment. An Ingersoll-Rand steel 
sharpener is used in the blacksmith shop. A com- 
bined mill, power, and blacksmith shop are con- 
tained in one structure, and a cook house, bunk 
house and an ore bin and storage structure— the 
latter at the portals of the two mines, comprise the 
buildings. A total of five men were employed this 
season, and the operating season extends from the 
middle of May until the middle of October. 

Geologic Setting 

The host rock in the vicinity of the Monarch Mine con- 
sists of contact metamorphosed Valdez Group rocks intruded 
by felsic dikes and a granitic stock that is exposed 0.25 mile 
east of the mine. Foliation dips steeply and strikes north- 
northeast. Bedding, where discernible, varies in attitude, 
and the rocks are extensively fractured. These structural 
complications were apparently created by intrusion of the 
stock. The bedding, which is near the mine, strikes west 
and dips 40 °N. Two sets of faults occur in the mine area. 
In west-striking set of faults, the faults are usually occupied 
by highly fractured gold-bearing quartz bounded on one or 
both sides by 0.5 to 3 in of gouge, indicating that some of 
the deformation postdated the mineralization. The adjacent 
wall rocks are highly shattered, are commonly greenish in 
appearance due to the presence of chlorite, and contain con- 
siderable pyrite and occasional anomalous precious metal 



51 



values. The older, north-striking set of faults hosts 
molybdenite-chalcopyrite-bearing quartz veins with less 
gouge along the walls. Park (37) described the two veins 
developed at the Monarch Mine and the crosscutting veins 
as follows: 

The south vein ranges in width from 6 inches to 
about 4 feet, with an average of 9 inches in the tun- 
nel. The strike is from east to S80°E, and the dip 
is 55°-70°N. The gangue is either massive or 
sugary quartz. In some places the vein splits into 
several nearly parallel stringers, separated by 
gangue or by sheared and partly oxidized wall rock. 
The quartz is commonly stained with limonite, and 
in places scattered spots of sulfides are visible. 
Many fragments of country rock are isolated in the 
quartz. 

The north vein strikes about N80°E and dips 
about 70 °N. Where exposed in the tunnel and in 
several surface cuts it is from 10 inches to 3 feet 
wide, with an average of 1 foot. The north vein ap- 
pears to be somewhat better defined than the south 
vein and may be traced farther on the surface. 

There are several small crosscutting veins 6 
inches wide that strike a few degrees west of north 
and dip either east or west. These crosscutting 
veins appear to be faulted, and in the lower adit 
of the old workings the strike swings from due 
north to N45 °E. The small veins striking north ap- 
pear to be slightly older than the main north vein, 
as they are offset along unbroken quartz in the 
north vein. The junctions of the crosscutting veins 
with the south vein have not been seen, as they 
are obscured by a rock slide. The crosscutting veins 
of the north-south system are very persistent for 
this district, and one mineralized veinlet 6 to 8 
inches wide was followed for more than 500 feet. 

Minerals identified in the above described veins include 
quartz of at least two generations, calcite, galena, chalco- 
pyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite, 
and gold. Park (37) reported collecting a sample from one 
of the crosscutting veins that contained 0.26 pet Mo. Several 
samples collected from similar veins in 1981 contained up 
to 600 ppm Mo, usually in association with chalcopyrite. 
Alteration products include limonite, cerusite, and abun- 
dant scorodite where arsenopyrite is prominent. 

Bureau Work 

Extensive sampling and some surface mapping of the 
Monarch property was done in 1981 and 1982. Subsurface 
samples were collected where possible, but most of the work- 
ings are inaccessible (figs. 30-31). Forty-three samples col- 
lected at the Monarch Mine (5473-5481, 5552-5557, 
5611-5638, and 5755) contained up to 234 ppm Au and 92 
ppm Ag (appendix). Two sets of mineralized veins were iden- 
tified on the property. The north and south veins, which 
strike westerly and contain gold values, make up one set, 
and north to northeasterly striking veins containing 
chalcopyrite and molybdenite with little or no gold values 
make up the second set. 

Resource Assessment 

An estimate of the possible resources of this deposit was 
not made because of the inaccessible nature of the work- 



52 



Portal 

el 3>280 ft 



Portal 

el 3,200 ft 




5627 



80 

_l 



Scale, ft 
Contour interval, 100 ft 



LEGEND 
Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 



*-—.-* Quartz vein, showing dip (dashed where approximate) 

57 

*i# m » Felsic dike, showing dip 

1 T Fault, showing dip 

-i- Strike and dip of bedding 

===:=: Adit, trace of mine workings 

= ; = ; V Adit, caved (trace of mine workings) 

Winze 

X^^^ Stope 

X5480 Sample site 



FIGURE 30.— Sample location map for Monarch Mine. 



■f* 



53 




Fault cuts off shallow-dipping 
quartz vein 



Shallow-dipping quartz vein 
exposed along ribs of drift 

^sQuartz vein in shear cuts off 
5550 shallow-dipping quartz vein 



Portal el 3,500 ft 



x 5557 



LEGEND 



Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 



/, 7 f, £ Quartz vein in shear, showing dip 
u (relative movement) 



» * » » • Quartz vein, showing dip 



t 70 Fault, showing dip (dashed where 

— ~ — approximate) 



Adit 



10 

_i 



Scale, ft 



20 

_J 



Shallow-dipping quartz vein 



Back 



Floor 




Quartz vein in shear* /Fault 



Section A-A' (not to scale) 



x 5556 Sample site 



FIGURE 31.— Sample location map for 3,500-ft level of Monarch Mine. 



ings. However, a down-dip extension of the south vein is 
likely, as is the strike extension of the north vein. Addi- 
tional exploration, including surface trenching and sam- 
pling and geologic mapping, appears to be warranted on 
both veins. This deposit has high mineral development 
potential based upon its production history and Bureau 
sampling. 

Jewel Mine 

The Jewel Mine is 8 miles from Girdwood near the head 
of Crow Creek, 0.5 mile south of the Monarch veins at an 
elevation of 3,450 ft (fig. 29). 

History and Production 

The deposit was originally located in 1912 by a Mr. 
Whitney. It then changed ownership several times over the 



years. John Holmgren purchased the mine at an auction 
and owned it in 1931, according to Park (37). Development 
work in 1931 included 50 ft of drifting. Only minor produc- 
tion had occurred by 1933. The property was sold to Bruno 
Augustino Mining Co., owners of the Monarch Mine, in 
1934. A new tram was constructed in 1937 to transport ore 
from the mine to the mill (50). The Jewel Mine's produc- 
tion, nearly all of which occurred from 1937 to 1942, is in- 
cluded in table 13 with that of the Monarch Mine. 

Operating Data 

Underground development consists of 285 ft of drift; 3 
raises, one of which intercepts the surface 100 ft above the 
portal; and stoping. Ore was transported via tram to the 
mill; the tram cable is still present. A flotation circuit was 
installed at the Monarch mill to process ore from the Jewel 
Mine because of the high sulfide content. 



54 



Geologic Setting 

The country rock near the Jewel Mine portal consists 
of well-bedded Valdez Group rocks that display a hornfels- 
like texture resulting from contact metamorphism by a 
nearby stock. 

Park {37) accurately described the geology as follows: 

The country rock is banded argillite and 
graywacke with strike and dip the same as the 
vein, strike S30°E and dip 60 °E. There are 
numerous intrusions of both medium and fine 
grained quartz diorite in the vicinity of this pros- 
pect, especially on the ridge east of it. The vein 
developed ranges in width from 2 inches to 1 foot 
and consists of quartz containing massive sulfides. 
Several other small veins are present on the prop- 
erty, but no work has been done on any of them. 



Minerals identified in the Jewel vein include arseno- 
pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite, 
and gold. Limonite, cerussite, and scorodite occur as oxida- 
tion products. Two small veins striking north to N15 ° W and 
dipping 70 °E are exposed just below the portal. These veins 
contain pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, and very minor gold 
values. 

Bureau Work 

The lower Jewel adit was mapped and sampled in 1981. 
A bulk sample (7251) of the vein was collected and assayed 
by the Bureau in 1982. This sample contained 1.58 oz/st 
Au and 0.62 oz/st Ag. The presence of considerable 
arsenopyrite (up to 20 pet) might create milling difficulties. 
Fourteen additional samples (5558-5568, 7227-7228, and 
7252) contained up to 4.74 oz/st Au and 2.1 oz/st Ag (ap- 
pendix). The subsurface sample locations are shown on 
figure 32. 



X7227-8 

Portal el 3,450 ft 
7251-2 / \55 

Ore chute 



Portal el 3,530 ft 




LEGEND 

Kv Cretaceous Valdez Group 
Quartz vein, showing dip 
Felsic dike, showing dip 



52 



30 



55 



— Strike and dip of foliation 



"TT7 st °P e 



=: Adit 

X5565 Sample site 



25 

_1_ 



50 
I 



Scale, ft 



565 



FIGURE 32.— Sample location map for Jewel Mine. 



-.-- 



55 



Resource Assessment 

Bureau sampling identified an indicated resource of 
3,100 st with a weighted-average grade of 1.75 oz/st Au and 
0.75 oz/t Ag. This estimate was made using a strike length 
of 285 ft, a thickness of 0.5 ft, a combined depth of 263 ft 



(including 120 ft above the 3,450 ft-level), and a tonnage 
factor of 12. The deposit is open at depth. Based upon 
samples collected, additional exploration, including sam- 
pling and detailed geologic mapping, is warranted. The 
Jewel Mine has high mineral development potential. 



SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



The CNF contains numerous small lode gold deposits. 
These deposits are associated with Valdez Group flysch that 
has metamorphosed to a middle greenschist facies. Most of 
the past producers occur in clusters in the Valdez, Port 
Wells, Moose Pass, Summit Lake-Palmer Creek, and Gird- 
wood areas. Of the total recorded lode gold production from 
deposits in and near the CNF (about 132,000 oz), over 58 
pet (76,180 oz) came from two mines, the Cliff Mine near 
Valdez and the Granite Mine on Port Wells. Most of the 
remainder was produced from 14 additional deposits located 
in the 5 areas listed above. Available data indicate that 14 
of the deposits discussed in this report contain an identified 
resource of 117,750 st with a weighted-average grade of 0.55 
oz/st Au and 0.2 oz/st Ag. 

History and available data suggest that future develop- 
ment of lode gold deposits will be largely restricted to small, 
locally high-grade gold-bearing quartz veins similar to those 
that have produced in the past. Bureau economic feasibil- 
ity studies suggest that deposits similar in size and grade 
to those found at the Cliff and Granite Mines would be 



economically feasible to mine at gold prices in the range 
of $300 to $350 per ounce. Potential also exists for the 
development of large-tonnage, low-grade resources, such as 
those exemplified by the Gilpatrick and Palmer Creek dikes 
on the north-central Kenai Peninsula. Similar dikes occur 
in many other areas of the CNF but remain unevaluated 
at this time. 

Further work is recommended to determine if several 
small deposits such as those clustered in the Moose Pass 
and Summit Lake-Palmer Creek areas could be feasibly 
developed simultaneously to contribute a combined tonnage 
to a small mill (50 to 100 st/d). Detailed geologic mapping 
should be completed, followed by surface trenching and 
sampling, and drilling, if warranted. In addition, a 
systematic sampling program is needed to further evaluate 
the mineral development potential of the Gilpatrick, Palmer 
Creek, and other mineralized dikes in the CNF. Additional 
work is warranted at most of the deposits discussed in this 
report. Specific recommendations are included in the 
resource assessment section for each deposit. 



56 



REFERENCES 



1. Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Anchorage, 
Seward, and Blying Sound Quadrangles (Minfile Reference System). 
Oct., 1984, 3 microfiche. 

2. Barry, M. J. A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, 
Alaska. Northwest Publ. Co., 1973, 214 pp. 

3. Becker, G. F. Reconnaisance of the Gold Fields of Southern 
Alaska, With Some Notes on General Geology. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
18th Annu. Rep., pt. 3a, 1898, pp. 1-86. 

4. Boyle, R. W. The Geochemistry of Gold and Its Deposits. Geol. 
Surv. Can. Bull. 280, 1979, 584 pp. 

5. Brooks, A. H. Gold Deposits Near Valdez. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Bull. 520-D, 1912, pp. 108-130. 

6. Budnik, R. T. The Geologic History of the Valdez Group, 
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Deposition and Deformation of a Late 
Cretaceous Consumptive Plate Margin. Ph. D. Dissertation, Univ. 
CA, Los Angeles, CA, 1979, 139 pp. 

7. Burnette, J. G. Report on the Primrose Mine. Kenai Metal 
Corp., unpubl. rep., 1931, 5 pp.; available from R. B. Hoekzema, 
BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

8. Byram, H. F. Report on the Primrose Mine. Unpubl. rep. (by 
consulting min. eng.), 1932, 10 pp.; available from R. B. Hoekzema, 
BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

9. Capps, S. R. The Turnagain-Knik Region. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Bull. 642-E, 1916, pp. 147-194. 

10. Case, J. W., R. Sikora, R. G. Tysdal, D. F. Barnes, and R. 
Morin. Geologic Interpretation of Gravity Anomaly Map of the 
Seward and Blying Sound Quadrangles, Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Misc. Field Stud. Map MF-880C, 1979. 

11. Case, J. W., R. G. Tysdal, J. W. Hillhouse, and C. S. Gramme. 
Aeromagnetic Map and Geologic Interpretation of Aeromagnetic 
Map of the Seward and Blying Sound Quadrangles, Alaska. U.S. 
Geol. Surv. Misc. Field Stud. Map MF-880D, 1979. 

12. Fechner, S. A., and M. P. Meyer. Placer Sampling and Related 
Bureau of Mines Activities in the Sound Study Area of the Chugach 
National Forest, Alaska. BuMines MLA 62-82, 1982, 25 pp. 

13. Grant, U. S., and D. F. Higgins, Jr. Notes on Geology and 
Mineral Prospects in the Vicinity of Seward, Kenai Peninsula. U.S. 
Geol. Surv. Bull. 379-C, 1909, pp. 98-107. 

14. Hoekzema, R. B. Placer Sampling and Related Bureau of 
Mines Activities on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. BuMines OFR 
138-81, 1981, 28 pp.; 1 map sheet. 

15. Strategic and Critical Mineral Development Poten- 
tial of the Chugach National Forest, Southcentral Alaska. BuMines 
OFR 215-84, 1984, 64 pp. 

16. Hoekzema, R. B., and G. E. Sherman. Billings Glacier 
Molybdenum-Copper Occurence, Whittier, Alaska. BuMines OFR 
141-81, 1981, 30 pp. 

17. Jansons, U. 1979 Bureau of Mines Sampling Sites and 
Analytical Results for Samples Collected in the Chugach National 
Forest, Alaska. BuMines OFR 83-81, 1981, 229 pp.; 5 map sheets. 

18. Jansons, U, R. B. Hoekzema, J. M. Kurtak, and S. A. 
Fechner. Mining History and Mineral Occurrences in the Chugach 
National Forest, Southcentral Alaska. BuMines MLA 5-84, 1984, 
43 pp.; 2 map sheets. 

19. Jasper, M. W. Preliminary Property Examination Report, 
Falls Creek Mining Company Gold Quartz Property. Seward 
Precinct, Seward Quadrangle, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. AK Div. 
of Mines and Geol. Rep., 1958, 9 pp.; 1 map sheet. 

20. Johnson, B. L. Gold Deposits of the Seward-Sunrise Region, 
Kenai Peninsula. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 520-E, 1912, pp. 131-173. 

21. . The Port Wells Gold-Lode District. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull. 592-G, 1914, pp. 195-236. 

22. Mining on Prince William Sound. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull. 592-G, 1914, pp. 237-243. 

23. Mining on Prince William Sound. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull. 622-E, 1915, pp. 131-139. 

24. Geology and Mineral Resources of the Port Valdez 

and Jack Bay Districts, Prince William Sound, Alaska. U.S. Geol. 
Surv., unpubl. rep., 1918, 317 pp; available from R. B. Hoekzema, 
BuMines, Anchorage, Alaska. 

25. Kurtak, J. M. A Manganese Occurrence on Chenega Island, 



Prince William Sound, Alaska. BuMines MLA 124-82, 1982, 9 pp. 

26. Martin, G. C, B. L. Johnson, and U. S. Grant. Geology and 
Mineral Resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Bull. 587, 1915, 243 pp. 

27. Mendenhall, W. C. A Reconnaissance From Resurrection Bay 
to the Tanana River, Alaska, in 1898. U.S. Geol. Surv., 20th Annu. 
Rep., pt. 7, 1900, pp. 265-340. 

28. Meyer, M. P., and S. A. Fechner. Mineral Sampling in the 
Western Portion of the Sound Study Area, Chugach National 
Forest, Alaska. BuMines OFR 44-85, 1984, 104 pp. 

29. Mitchell, P. A. Geology of the Hope-Sunrise (Gold) Mining 
District, North-Central Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. M.A. Thesis, 
Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA, 1979, 123 pp. 

30. Mitchell, P. A., M. L. Silberman, and J. R. O'Neil. Genesis 
of Gold Vein Mineralization in an Upper Cretaceous Turbidite Se- 
quence. Hope-Sunrise District, Southern Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Open File Rep. 81-0103, 1981, 20 pp. 

31. Moore, J. C. Cretaceous Continental Margin Sedimentation, 
Southwestern Alaska. Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 84, No. 5, 1973, 
pp. 596-614. 

32. Moffit, F. H. Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1925. U.S. Geol. 
Surv. Bull. 792-A, 1927, pp. 1-39. 

33. Geology of the Prince William Sound Region, Alaska. 

U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 989-E, 1954, pp. 225-310. 

34. Nelson, G. E. Report on Alaska Oracle Corporation Property, 
Gilpatrick Group, Gladiator Group, Lucky Strike Property, Swet- 
mann Prospect on Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Oracle Corp., unpubl. 
rep., 1931, 5 pp.; 1 map sheet; available from R. B. Hoekzema, 
BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

35. Nelson, S. W., M. L. Miller, D. F. Barnes, J. A. Dumoulin, 
R. J. Goldfarb, R. A. Koski, C. G. Mull, W. J. Pickthorn, U. Jansons, 
R. B. Hoekzema, J. M. Kurtak, and S. A. Fechner. Mineral Poten- 
tial Resource Map of the Chugach National Forest, Alaska. U.S. 
Geol. Surv. Misc. Field Stud. Map MF-1645A, 1984, 24 pp.; 1 sheet; 
scale 1:250,000. 

36. O'Neill, W. A. Reconnaisance Examination East Point Mine, 
Falls Creek-Moose Pass District, Seward, Alaska. Unpubl. rep. (by 
consultant), 1960, 5 pp.; available from R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, 
Anchorage, AK. 

37. Park, C. F., Jr. The Girdwood District, Alaska. U.S. Geol. 
Surv. Bull. 849-G, 1933, pp. 381-424. 

38. Pickthorn, W. J. Stable Isotope and Fluid Inclusion Study 
of the Port Valdez Gold District, Southern Alaska, M.S. Thesis, 
Univ. CA, Los Angeles, CA, 1982, 66 pp. 

39. Plafker, G, D. L. Jones, and E. A. Pessagno, Jr. A Cretaceous 
Accretionary Flysch and Melange Terrane Along the Gulf of Alaska 
Margin. Sec. in The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: 
Accomplishments During 1976, ed. by K. Blean. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Circ. 751-B, 1977, pp. B41-B43. 

40. Richelson, W. A. Report on the Pioneer, Lucky Strike, and 
Rilley Prospects at McKinley Lake, Lower Copper River Region, 
Alaska. Bear Creek Mining Co., unpubl. rep., 1934, 9 pp.; available 
from R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

41. Notes on the Culross Mine, Merrill Prospect, Portage 

Mine, and Granite Mine. Bear Mining Co., unpubl. company data, 
1935-39; available from R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

42. Roehm, J. C. Summary Report of Mining Investigations in 
the Kenai Precinct July 9 to July 15, 1941. Terr, of AK., Dep. Mines 
Itinerary Rep., 1941, 8 pp.; 5 maps. 

43. Summary Report of Mining Investigations in the Port 

Wells District, Prince William Sound, to B. D. Stewart, Commis- 
sioner of Mines, and Itinerary of J. C. Roehm, Associate Engineer, 
Aug. 11-20, 1938. Terr, of AK., Dep. Mines Rep., 1938, 5 pp. 

44. Roehm, J. C. Summary Report of Mining Investigations in 
the Crow Creek and Moose Pass-Hope Districts to B. D. Stewart, 
Commissioner of Mines, and Itinerary of J. C. Roehm, Associate 
Engineer, Oct. 3-11, 1938. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1938, 4 pp. 

45. Preliminary Report of El Primero Mining and Mill- 
ing company (Granite Mine) Port Wells, Valdez Glacier Mining 
District. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1936, 3 pp. 

46. Preliminary Report of Portage Gold Mines, Ltd., Poe 



57 



Bay, Prince William Sound District, Valdez Precinct, Port Wells 
Area. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1936 and 1938, 5 pp. 

47. . Preliminary Report of the Hirshey Mine, Moose Pass- 
Hope District, Alaska. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1937, 3 pp.; 
1 map. 

48. Preliminary Report of Oracle Mine, Summit Creek, 

Moose Pass-Hope District, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Terr, of AK, 
Dep. Mines Rep., 1937-38, 5 pp. 

49. Preliminary Report of the Gold Mint Group 

(Nearhouse Mine), Palmer Creek, Hope Mining District, Alaska. 
Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1937, 3 pp. 

50. Preliminary Report of Mining Activities on Crow 

Creek, Girdwood District, Alaska. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 
1937 (1946 suppl.), 6 pp.; 2 maps. 

51. Shepard, J. G. Merrill Property, Bettles Bay-Valdez Mining 
District. U.S. Geol. Surv., unpubl. rep., 1926, 2 pp.; available from 
R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

52. Sherman, G. E., and U. Jansons. Feasibility of Gold and Cop- 
per Mining in the Chugach National Forest, Alaska. BuMines OFR 
125-84, 1983, 55 pp. 

53. Smith, P. S. Mineral Resources of Alaska, 1927. U.S. Geol. 
Surv. Bull. 810-A, 1930, p. 17. 

54. Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1934. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull. 868-A, 1936, p. 22. 

55. Mineral Resources of Alaska in 1935. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull 880-A, 1937, pp. 23-25. 

56. Mineral Resources of Alaska in 1937. U.S. Geol. Surv. 

Bull. 910-A, 1939, pp. 26-27. 

57. Smith, S. S. The Mining Industry in the Territory of Alaska 
During the Calendar Year 1916. BuMines B 153, 1917, 89 pp. 

58. Smitheringale, W. V. Report of the Portage Mine, Poe Bay, 
Alaska. Portage Mine Syndicate, unpubl. rep., 1935, 7 pp.; available 
from R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 



59. Steiner, R. The Portage Mine, Poe Bay, Whittier, Alaska. 
Brigitte Mining and Consulting Co. Ltd., unpubl. rep., 1965, 12 
pp; available from R. B. Hoekzema, BuMines, Anchorage, AK. 

60. Stewart, B. D. Annual Report of the Mines Inspector to the 
Governor of Alaska, 1922. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines, 1923, 175 pp. 

61. Territorial Mines Report on Cooperative Mining In- 
vestigations. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines, 1931, pp. 55-57. 

62. Territorial Mines Report on Cooperative Mining In- 
vestigations. Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines, 1933, pp. 56-58. 

63. Stuwe, K. Granitoid Intrusions and Gold Mineralization in 
the Western Port Wells Mining District, Prince William Sound, 
Alaska. M.A. Thesis, Min. Univ. Leoben, Austria, 1984, 108 pp. 

64. Thurmond, F. L. Report on the Monarch Mining Company. 
Terr, of AK, Dep. Mines Rep., 1929, 8 pp. 

65. Tuck, R. The Moose Pass-Hope District, Kenai Peninsula, 
Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 849-1, 1933, pp. 469-527. 

66. Tysdal, R. G Mines, Prospects, and Occurrences, Seward and 
Blying Sound Quadrangles, Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. Misc. Field 
Stud. Map MF-880A, 1978. 

67. Geologic Map of the Seward and Blying Sound 

Quadrangles, Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. Misc. Inv. Ser. Map 1-1150, 
1979. 

68. U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Dep. of Interior). Min- 
ing Claim Report, Window 340, Chugach National Forest. Oct. 19, 
1984, 279 pp. 

69. Winkler, G. R., M. L. Miller, R. B. Hoekzema, and J. A. 
Dumoulin. Guide to the Bedrock Geology of a Traverse of the 
Chugach Mountains From Anchorage to Cape Resurrection. AK 
Geol. Soc. Guidebook, 1984, 40 pp. 

70. Zuffa, G G, T. H. Nilsen, and G. R. Winkler. Rock Fragment 
Petrography of the Upper Cretaceous Chugach Terrane, Southern 
Alaska. U.S. Geol. Surv. Open File Rep. 80-173, 1980, 28 pp. 



58 



APPENDIX.— QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF SAMPLES FROM SELECTED 
MINERAL DEPOSITS IN CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST AREA 

(Parts per million, as determined by atomic absorption, except that values listed with footnote number 3 are in ounces per short ton, 
as determined by fire assay, unless otherwise noted. Deposits are listed in order of discussion in this report.) 





Sample 






Au 


Ag Cu Pb 


Zn 


As 


Mo 


Sb 




Number 1 


Material 2 


Type 2 


Width, 
in 


Other information 


CLIFF MINE 


915 

916. .. . 

917. ... 
918 


Metased, QV . 
Pan cone .... 

Metased 

..do 


Grab . . . 

..do 

..do 

. .do 


NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 


0.76 
40 

ND 
ND 


.81 10 ND 

7.1 10 ND 

ND 20 600 

ND ND ND 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


Quartz with argillite. 
Gravels from spit. 
Slate, graywacke. 
Graywacke. 


RAMSAY-RUTHERFORD MINE 



1048. 
1077. 
1836. 

1928 



Mill feed . 
Mill cone . 
QV 

Mill cone . 



do NAp 02.35 02.1 60 ND ND ND ND ND ND. 

.do NAp 37.5 9.5 100 500 ND ND ND ND ND. 

.do NAp 3 .07 3.1 14 76 440 15 2 ND From dump. 

NAp 1.55 5.2 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

do... NAp 326.1 3-10.1 690 7,500 1,500 1,000 2 ND Cone of mill cone. 



GOLD KING MINE 



1729. 

1730. 

1731 . 

1901 

1902. 

1903. 

7932. 



QV 



do. 



Metased Random 

chip 

. . do do ... . 

QV Chip 

Metased Random 

chip. 

QV Cont 

chip. 

QV Grab . . . 



NAp 
NAp 
72 

12 
2 
24 

12 

NAp 



3 04.85 
180 
.31 

.09 
.32 

.09 

3.4 
345.62 



301.7 
60 

3 



750 
ND 
30 



4,600 1,200 
ND ND 
36 84 



.3 30 

.2 5 

.1 11 



1.3 



31 



34 



42 
30 
21 

33 



105 

62 

105 

80 



11 4,300 1,500 



170 2 ND Quartz from dump. 

ND ND 1,600 Do. 

65 2 ND Slate wall rock. 

37 2 ND Slate from shear. 

950 2 ND Do. 

80 2 ND Quartz vein wall rock. 

350 7 ND Quartz vein from shear. 

ND 2 ND Quartz vein with Au and galena. 



DONOHUE PROSPECT 



1785. 
1786. 

1787. 

1788. 

1844 . 

1845. 

1846 

500A. 

500B. 

500C 

500D 



Metased, QV 
.do 



. do. 
Chip . 

..do. 

..do. 

do 

do. 

Grab 
..do. 
..do. 

Chip 
Metased ... Grab 



do 
do 
do 
do 



QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 



NAp 01.02 01.1 16 3 19 10 2 ND Quartz from dump with pyrite. 

60 3 oo3 3 04 14 12 57 11 2 ND Quartz stringer. 

60 .03 .4 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

24 3 003 3.01 23 14 79 14 2 ND Slate with quartz. 

24 .03 .2 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

48 3 oo3 3.01 11 36 54 13 2 ND Do. 

48 .03 .1 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

14 3 003 3.01 14 14 26 10 2 ND Quartz vein. 

18 .05 .7 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

24 3.413 3.1 17 695 40 o 235 4 ND Quartz, slate. 

24 8.18 6.6 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

NAp 3100.2 316.9 11 6,950 200 115 2 ND High-grade vein. 

NAp .05 ND 5 5 20 ND ND ND USGS sample. 

NAp 2.500 300 15 2,200 95 ND ND ND Do. 

120 13 3 10 20 30 ND ND ND Do. 

NAp .2 .5 20 20 50 ND ND ND USGS wall rock sample. 



GRANITE MINE 



4243 

4244 

4245 

4246 

4247 

4248 

4249 

5740A 

5470B 

6280. 

6281 . 

6282 

7001 

7002 

7003 

7004 

7005 

7006 

7007 

7008 

7009. 

7232 

7233 



. .do 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Fel plut 

QV 

. . do 

. . do 

do 

Metased, QV 

Fel plut 

QV 

Metased 

QV 

QV 

Metased 

QV 

Metased 

QV 

Mill tailings . 
Beach material 



Chip . . 
Grab 

do 

do. . 

do.. 

do.. 

do. . 
Chip 
Spec 
Grab 
Spec 
Grab 
.do.. 

do 

do 

do. 

do. . 

do.. 
.do. . 

do. . 

do. . 
Bulk 
Placer 



18 0.05 0.2 ND ND ND 30 ND ND Snowball 720-ft level. 

NAp 14 2.8 15 445 435 40 ND ND 350-ft level dump. 

NAp 12 4 80 235 400 300 ND ND 200-ft level stamp mill. 

NAp 4.2 2.8 25 135 65 160 ND ND 200-ft level ore bin. 

NAp 1.3 .4 ND ND ND ND ND ND 200-ft level dump. 

NAp .08 .2 ND ND ND ND ND ND Do. 

NAp .06 2 ND ND ND ND ND ND 200-ft level. 

18 71 26 2 230 135 22 ND ND 35-ft level face. 

NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp ND. 

NAp .05 <.2 5 5 15 ND ND ND ND. 

NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp ND. 

NAp .53 .2 20 15 65 ND ND ND ND. 

NAp .44 .2 <5 10 35 500 ND ND 350-ft level. 

NAp 2 4 2.6 15 30 5 <500 ND ND Do. 

NAp .15 4 100 15 125 <500 ND ND Do. 

NAp 2.4 1.8 75 25 120 500 ND ND Do. 

NAp 1.5 2 110 90 30 <500 ND ND Do. 

NAp .19 .4 45 15 115 500 ND ND Do. 

NAp 3.3 5.6 75 20 140 7,000 ND ND Do. 

NAp .02 .2 40 10 100 <500 ND ND Do. 

NAp 3.9 2.8 80 40 145 1,500 ND ND Do. 

NAp 3 194 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Bulk for cyanide leaching. 

NAp NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Several fine colors Au recovered. 



MINERAL KING MINE 



5417 . 

5418 . 

5419 . 
5443 
5444 

5445 . 

5446 . 
5447 
5448 
5449 
5450 
6313 



Alluvium do. 

Mill feed Grab 

Alluvium Placer 

Qv fault gouge Grab 

QV Chip 

QV do 

QV do 

Granite Grab 

QV Chip . 

QV do . 

QV Spec 

Mill feed Grab 



NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.001 oz/yd 3 Au recovered. 

NAp 5.3 4.3 110 165 150 100 ND ND Collected from stamp mill. 

NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.018 oz/yd 3 Au recovered. 

NAp <.03 .76 5 9 ND 21 ND ND Main adit metased host. 

4 .05 1.2 600 160 67 ND ND ND Do. 

6 .35 3.8 18 140 30 30 4 22 Main adit granite host. 

3 .54 3.4 ND ND 20 410 ND ND Do. 
NAp <.03 .49 ND ND ND ND ND ND Main adit. 

4 .82 .95 ND ND ND 3,200 ND ND Metased host. 
6 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND. 

NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp Granite host. 

NAp 3.2 2 70 120 140 10 ND ND Collected from stamp mill. 



See explanatory notes at end of table. 



(T" 



59 





Sample 






Au 


Ag Cu Pb 


Zn 


As 


Mo 


Sb 


Other 




Number 1 


Material 2 


Type 2 


Width, 
in 


information 


CULROSS MINE 



3337. 
3339. 

3340. 

3342. 

3344. 
3470. 
3502. 

3503. 
3504. 

3505. 

3506. 

3509. 

3649. 
3650. 

3653. 

3654. 

3655. 

3656. 
3658. 

3659. 

3662. 

3663. 

4254. 

4255. 

4256. 

4257. 
4258. 
4263. 

5186. 
5390. 
5391 . 
5393. 



QV .... 
Metased 



Metased, QV 



QV 



Mat vole 
QV .... 
Mat vole 

..do . .. 
..do ... 



QV .... 
Maf volv 
QV .... 



Str Sed 
Maf vole 

Maf vole 

QV .... 



Maf vole 



QV 
QV 



QV .... 
Maf vole 
..do ... 
QV .... 
QV .... 



QV 



QV .... 
Maf vole 
QV .... 



QV .... 
Maf vole 
QV .... 
Maf vole 



Grab . . . 
Random 

chip. 
Random 

chip. 

..do... 

. .do... . 
Grab . . . 
Cont 

chip. 

do.. 

do.. 

do.. 

do. . 

do. . 

Grab . 
Random 

chip. 
Cont 

chip. 
Random 

chip. 

..do.... 

. . do . . . 
Chip 

Select 
grab. 

Random 
chip. 

. . do . . . . 

Grab . . . 

Select 
grab. 

Random 

chip. 
..do.... 
Grab . . . 
Select 

grab. 
..do... 
Grab . . . 

Chip 

Random 

chip. 



NAp 
NAp 

NAp 



48 

NAp 

NAp 

24 

84 
12 

24 

30 

18 

NAp 
NAp 

60 

NAp 

NAp 

18 
12 

NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

NAp 
NAp 
NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

6 

NAp 



3<0.005 
<.005 

<.005 

<.005 

<.005 
.16 
.005 

.026 
.047 

.052 

.02 

.008 

.06 
<C.005 

<.005 

<.005 

<.005 

.02 
<.005 

Trace 
<.005 
<.005 

.82 
3.1 

13 

9.5 
12 
300 

30 

5.2 
22 

.05 



<0.2 
<2 

<.2 

<2 

<.2 
<.2 
<2 

<.2 
<.2 

<2 

.6 

<.2 

.4 
<.2 

.2 

.2 



.2 
.2 

.2 

.2 

.2 

.2 

4.2 



1.4 

11 
65 



18 
65 

105 



57 
85 
62 

77 
6 

52 

78 

800 

30 
78 

69 

11 

40 

66 
255 

45 

72 

105 

5,800 

ND 

ND 

ND 

1,000 

550 



9 
23 



33 



14 

1,000 

36 

28 

14 

140 
485 



11 
75 

67 

13 

26 

15 
46 

32 

14 

30 
26 



380 
39 



170 



ND 
ND 



ND 



10 ND 



7,600 2,900 



31 
13 

29 

20 

33 

42 
345 

29 

18 

18 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 
8,700 
3,600 



69 
13 

31 

11 

26 

10 
350 

20 

22 

16 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 
5,300 
7,000 



10.1 480 685 170 

3.6 245 400 ND 

11 495 4,100 ND 

3 110 24 58 



10 

1,000 

790 

19 
21 

1,300 

4,100 

88 

18 
<10 

193 

129 

200 

440 
1,100 

104 

<1 

22 

ND 

3,300 

3,000 

3,600 

ND 

1,500 

2,300 

355 

4,900 

44 



ND 
ND 
ND 

ND 
ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 
ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 
ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 

ND 
ND 
ND 

ND 

2 

ND 

ND 



2 Quartz float, 1 pet arsenopyrite. 
6 Mudstone. 

2 10- by 15-ft iron-stained shale. 

Quartz veinlets, up to 5 pet 
pyrite. 
4 Av 4-ft-wide quartz vein exposed for 
50 ft. 

3 Greenstone. 

2 Vein quartz float in open cut. 

6 Quartz-chlorite semi-schist. 

4 Shear zone; quartz stringer. 

1 Greenstone semischist with 

quartz-chlorite veins. 

2 Sheared greenstone with quartz 

calcite veins 1 in to 1 ft wide. 

3 Sheared greenstone with quartz 

calcite veins. 

7 4-ft-wide shear zone; quartz- 

calcite veins. 
<1 Stream silt below mine workings. 

1 Cherty greenstone. 

2 Shear zone with numerous 

quartz veinlets. 
<1 Quartz veinlets, <1 in to 5 ft 
wide. 



69 



ND 
2 



ND 



<1 



ND 
ND 



ND 



Sheared pillow basalt with calcite 

stringers. 
Calcite-quartz vein 1 .5 ft wide. 
1-ft-wide quartz vein with minor 

sulfide and calcite. 
Quartz float with dark gray 

bands. 
Schistose greenstone with quartz 

stringers and lenses. 
Sheared greenstone with quartz 

stringers and blebs. 
Quartz vein float on adit floor. 

Visible galena. 
Quartz vein float on adit floor; 

contains pyrrhotite and 

malachite. 
Quartz with visible galena. 



ND Quartz vein with sulfides. 

ND Dump sample. 

ND Crushed quartz remaining in mill. 

ND Do. 

ND Fine debris in bottom of stope. 

ND Quartz vein. 

ND Greenstone, minor pyrrhotite. 



PORTAGE BAY MINE 



4991 . 
4992. 
4993. 
4994. 
4995. 
4996. 
5458. 
5459. 
5460. 
5461 . 
5692A 
5692B 
5692C 
5692D 
5692E 



QV 

QV 

Metased . . . 

QV 

Metased . . . 
Alluvium . . . 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Fel plut 

. .do 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Ore dump . . 



Chip . 
..do. 
..do. 
..do. 
..do. 
Pan cone 
Grab . . 
Chip . . . 
..do... 
Grab . . 
Chip . . . 
Channel 
Chip . . . 
..do.. . 
Pan cone 



6 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 1,550-ft level. 

8 0.3 1.6 30 490 590 250 ND ND Do. ^ 

18 3.01 K.02 50 21 100 38 2 ND Do. 

18 .45 2.4 89 33 74 110 ND ND Do. 

12 .35 .85 34 26 91 100 ND ND Do. 

NAp 11.31 6 27 25 100 ND ND ND 10 colors. 

NAp 3 .015 3 02 40 11 50 125 3 6 1,500-ft level stope. 

24 3 013 3 02 50 20 50 30 ND ND 1,500-ft level raise. 

14 16.6 5.6 40 190 50 120 ND ND Do. 

NAp .2 1.1 7 22 53 130 ND ND Do. 

18 <.03 .1 5 22 37 27 ND ND 1,700-ft level. 

4 2.5 1.3 58 34 135 89 ND ND Do. 

8 3.294 3<. 2 10 78 180 580 3 ND Do. 

4 .03 .8 16 105 78 100 ND ND Visible Au in sample. 

NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 1,700-ft level. Visible Au in 

sample. 



PRIMROSE MINE 


7174. . . 

7175A. 
7175B. 


QV 

QV 

QV 


Cont 

chip. 
Channel . 
Spec . . . 


10 

6 
NAp 


301.572 

31.166 
NAp 


30.6 

3.6 

NAp 


150 

260 
NAp 


970 365 

620 213 
NAp NAp 


9,200 

3,500 
NAp 


4 

4 
NAp 


7 

4 
NAp 


Upper-level portal. 

Do. 
Do. 


CROWN POINT MINE 


5288 . . 

5289 . . 

5290 . . 

5291 . . 


QV 

Metased, QV . 

QV 

QV 


Chip .... 
. .do. . . . 
Grab . . . 
Chip .... 


18 

20 

NAp 

12 


08.6 
30 

31 

13 


04.1 
8.1 

11.5 
4.4 


40 
38 
24 
44 


37 110 

54 115 

103 53 

47 145 


880 

690 

340 

1,850 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 


4,500-ft level. 

Do. 
4,450-ft level. 
4,320-ft level. 



See explanatory notes at end of table. 



60 





Sample 






Au 


Ag Cu Pb Zn 


As 


Mo 


Sb 




Number 1 


Material 2 


Type 2 


Width, 
in 


Other information 


CROWN POINT MINE— Continued 



5292. 
5293. 
5294. 
5295. 
5302. 

5303. 

5304. 

5307 

5308. 

5309 

5684 

7141 



QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 



Chip . 
..do. 
..do. 
Grab 
. do. 



QV Grab 

QV do . 

QV do. 

QV do. 

QV Chip . 

QV Channel 

Metased, QV . Grab . 



10 19 5.4 28 41 25 690 ND ND 4,320-ft level. 

6 97 19.5 23 156 58 600 ND ND Do. 

26 34 9.5 37 152 69 900 ND 7 Do. 

NAp 5.1 1.6 32 56 43 450 ND ND 4,170-ft level. 

NAp 55 14.5 63 217 120 480 ND ND Hanging wall, side vein, 4,320-ft 

level. 

NAp 39 9.5 29 103 32 775 ND ND Footwall, side vein 4,320-ft level. 

NAp 39 7.2 27 56 26 740 ND ND 4,450-ft level. 

NAp .08 1 29 6 24 615 ND 5 Not on main system vein. 

NAp 14 4.5 ND ND ND 170 ND ND West of upper portal. 

6 .08 1.4 ND ND ND 10 ND ND Do. 

8 3 2 .2 3.51 ND ND ND ND ND ND 4,320-ft level, 300-lb bulk sample. 

NAp ".0058 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Debris from floor to be panned. 



SKEEN-LECHNER MINE 



4824 . 

4825 

4826. 

4827. 

4828. 

4829. 

4830. 

4831 . 

4832. 

4833. 

4834 

4835. 

4836. 

4837. 

7132 . 

7133 

7134 . 

7135. 

7136 

7137 

7138 
7140 



4838 
7139 

1054 
1055 
1056 



QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

HW Metased 

QV 

QV 

Metased 

QV 

Mill feed 

QV 

QV 

QV 



QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Quartz debris 



QV 
QV 



Chip . . 
..do.. 
..do.. 
. . do . . 
. do . 
. . do . . 
. . do . . 
..do. . 
Grab 
. . do 
. do. 
Chip 
Select 
chip. 
Chip 
. . do . . 
. . do . . 
Grab . 
Chip . . 
..do. . 
Grab 

...do. . 

Spec 



54 0.38 2 40 10 30 2,000 ND ND Upper vein, 3, 210-ft level. 

24 17 5.9 38 90 40 ND ND ND Do. 

36 <03 1.7 40 5 40 ND ND ND Do. 

18 .85 2.8 35 15 50 ND ND ND Do. 

18 <03 2.1 36 14 60 ND ND ND Do. 

48 .1 1.9 40 14 80 ND ND ND Do. 

48 .1 1.9 32 55 80 ND ND ND Do. 

18 .1 3.4 35 36 250 ND ND ND Do. 

NAp 35 16 43 650 150 ND ND ND Do. 

NAp 31 9.3 37 135 100 10,000 ND ND Mill site. 

NAp 12.5 5.2 35 70 150 ND ND ND Upper vein dump, 3,260-ft level. 

24 360 30 38 450 80 ND ND ND Upper vein, 3,260-ft level. 

2 29 9.7 30 160 210 ND ND ND Do. 

36 .27 1 30 10 55 ND ND ND Upper vein, 3,210-ft level. 

14 3 3.322 3 .6 8 300 105 870 3 3 Upper vein, 3,260-ft level. 

15 3 .054 3.2 <1 76 43 380 2 3 Do. 

NAp 5.0029 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Panned 3,260-ft level. 

3 3554 34 <-| 24 13 260 ND ND ND. 
6 3<005 33 4 <1 26 15 ND ND ND. 

NAp ^0012 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Panned upper vein, 3,210-ft 

level. 

NAp 3<oo5 3 2 4 8 84 610 ND ND Upper vein, 3,210-ft level. 

NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp Upper level, 3,260-ft level. 



FALLS CREEK MINE 


4823 . . 


. QV 


Chip 


72 


03.25 


02.4 50 46 


50 


ND 


ND 


ND 


ND. 


EAST PONT MINE 



QV 
QV 

QV 
QV 
QV 



Grab 
Chip 

Grab 
Chip 
. do. 



NAp 
4 

NAp 
12 



200 
32.204 

3.16 
3.01 

3 5.85 



03.5 

3.8 



30 
3 



350 
78 



70 
37 



3.36 ND ND ND 

31.35 ND ND ND 

32.07 ND ND ND 



10,000 ND ND Assorted quartz from mill. 
3,800 4 7 Vein exposed 50 ft north of 

portal. 
ND ND ND O'Neill (36) sample. 
ND ND ND Do. 
ND ND ND Do. 



GILPATRICK MINE 



4429 

4719 . 

4720 

4783 

5361 

5646 

5647. 

5648. 

5649 
7191 . 



Fel plut, QV 

QV 

Fel plut, QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Fel plut, QV 



QV 
Elluvium 



Grab 

do 

do 

do 

do. 
.do. 

do 
Cont 

chip 

do 
Bulk 

placer 



NAp 03.2 0.6 5 245 100 ND <2 ND 3,300-ft level dump. 

NAp 2 .2 ND ND ND ND <2 ND ND. 

NAp 54 13 ND ND ND ND <2 ND ND. 

NAp 10 7.5 40 1,650 660 700 ND ND ND. 

NAp 11 3 150 290 340 ND ND ND ND. 

NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Not assayed. 

NAp 3 8.51 33 2 19 4,000 400 890 <2 ND 3,400-ft level dump. 

14 .88 .73 2 45 46 178 2 ND Do. 

10 3.89 3 65 9 520 145 180 2 ND 3,400-ft level portal. 

NAp ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 0.0032 oz/yd 3 Au recovered by 

sluicing 0.1 yd 3 of elluvium. 



SUMMIT VEIN PROSPECT 



4781 . 
4782 
4784 
4785 

4786 
4787 
5650 

5651 
5652. 



QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 



Metased 

. do . . . 
QV ... 



QV 
QV 



Grab 
. . do . . . 
. . do . . 
Cont 

chip. 
. . do . . 

do 
Spec . 

Channel 
. .do. . . 



5683 ... QV Spec 



NAp 

NAp 

NAp 

18 



NAp 



3 0282 
8.4 
3 5.15 
3 1.18 



3 01.7 
.46 
33.5 
3 1.4 

85 



46 8,000 340 

91 1,700 450 

22 5,000 310 

140 15,000 830 



.1 

.13 4 

NAp NAp 

31.35 3 84 

ND ND 



27 

91 

NAp 

ND 
ND 



730 930 

50 2,400 

NAp NAp 



ND 
ND 



ND 
ND 



1,250 

38 

55 

410 

4,350 
440 
NAp 

ND 
ND 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 

ND 

ND 

NAp 

ND 
ND 



ND NW end of vein. 

ND SE end of vein. 

ND NW end of vein. 

ND Do. 



ND 

ND 

NAp 

ND 

ND 



NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp 



NAp NAp NAp 



NW end; hanging wall. 

NW end, footwall. 

NW end. Not assayed. Contained 
visible Au. 

NW end; bulk sample. 

NW end; crushed and panned. 
Not assayed. Panned con- 
siderable free Au. 

SE end. Not assayed. Contained 
visible Au. 



HEASTON-ORACLE MINE 



4774 ... QV Cont 

chip. 

4775 . . . Metased Chip . . 

4776 . . Metased Chip . . 

4777 ... QV Grab 



10 
NAp 



30164 30.71 98 1050 66 2,500 ND ND 1 ,900-ft portal. 

.1 .44 ND ND ND 300 ND ND Hanging wall, 1 ,900-ft portal. 

1.55 3 ND ND ND 3,650 ND ND Footwall, 1 ,900-ft portal. 

.55 .57 3 10 39 15,600 ND ND 2,100-ft adit north side creek. 



See explanatory notes at end of table. 



61 





Sample 




Au Ag Cu Pb Zn As 


Mo 


Sb 




Number 1 


Material 2 Type 2 


Width, 
in 


Other information 


HEASTON-ORACLE MINE— Continued 


4778 . . . 
5665 . . . 


QV Grab . . . 

QV Mineral 

spec. 


NAp 
NAp 


1.4 1.5 44 140 83 2,550 
NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp NAp 


ND 

NAp 


ND 
NAp 


2,000-tt adit north side creek. 
1,900-ft portal. Visible Au. 


HIRSHEY-LUCKY STRIKE MINE 



5639. 

5640. 

5641 . 
5642. 

5643. 



QV 

QV 

QV 
QV 

QV 



Cont 

chip. 
Random 

chip. 

. .do 

Cont 

chip. 
. . do . . . . 



8 
24 



0.47 
99.6 



3.175 

31.21 



3.364 



0.75 
65 



3<.1 

3.09 



3<.01 



6 
ND 



49 
21 



33 



15 
ND 



19 
ND 



36 
ND 



415 165 300 

1,550 1,400 6,500 



<2 

ND 



ND 
<2 



<1 3,200-ft level. 
ND 3,400-ft level. 



ND 
3 



660 



130 



310 



ND ND 



Do. 
Do. 

Do. 



NEARHOUSE MINE 



4436 

4755 
4756 
4757 
4758 
4759 

4760. 
4761 . 

4762 

4763 

4764 

4765 . 

4766 

4767 

4768 

4769 

5610. 

5801 . 

5802. 
5803. 

5804. 

5805. 

5806. 
5807. 



QV Random 

grab. 

QV do 

Metased do ... . 

Metased Chip 

QV QV 

QV Random 

chip. 

QV 

QV 



QV 

Felsic dike 
Metased . . 

. .do 

Felsic dike 

. .do 

. . do 

QV 

QV 

QV 



QV .... 
Metased 



. do 
QV . 



QV 
QV 



do. 
Cont 

chip. 
Grab . 

do. . 

do. . 

do. . 

do. . 

do. . 

do. . 

do. 
Spec . 
Cont 

chip. 
..do... 
. .do. . . 

do. 

Cont 

chip. 
..do... 
. do. . . 



NAp 

18 
18 

6 
NAp 

6 

14 
36 

NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
16 

10 
24 

24 



7.3 

.15 
<03 

.05 
<.03 

.75 

3.15 
15.3 

3.05 
1.45 

.08 

.05 
<03 

.04 

.03 

.25 

NAp 
3.136 

.07 
.23 

ND 

.385 

11.4 
6.4 



12 

4.5 

4 
.89 
.49 

1 

3.3 
.79 

5 

3.4 
.92 

2 
.16 
.5 
.19 
.44 

NAp 

3.5 

.2 
1.8 

ND 



5.1 
5.1 



10 



330 



ND ND 

ND ND 

ND ND 

ND ND 

ND ND 



ND 
10 

ND 
10 
ND 
ND 
ND 
42 
ND 
8 
NAp 
18 

10 
43 

ND 

71 

22 
18 



ND 
810 

ND 

135 

ND 

ND 

ND 

7 

ND 

14.5 

NAp 

870 

260 

24 

ND 
34 

345 

410 



85 

ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 

ND 
450 

ND 

92 

ND 

ND 

ND 

51 

ND 

300 

NAp 

300 

135 
145 

ND 

180 

270 
115 



ND 

2,600 

190 

160 

37 

ND 

2,050 
345 

150 

480 

89 

125 

10 

115 

19 

425 

NAp 

ND 

ND 
ND 

ND 

250 

1,900 
440 



ND ND Dump, 3,100-ft level. 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 

ND 
ND 

ND 

ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
NAp 
<2 

3 
2 

ND 

2 

2 
2 



ND Face, 3,050-ft level. 

ND Face, 3,050-ft level, footwall. 

ND Face, 3,050-ft level, hanging wall. 

ND West drift, 3,100-ft level. 

ND Do. 

ND Do. 

ND East drift, 3,100-ft level. 

ND Do. 

ND Do. 

ND East drift, 3,100-ft footwall. 

ND East drift, 3,100-ft hanging wall. 

ND Surface, 3,950 ft. 

ND Do. 

ND Do. 

ND Surface, 4,000 ft. 

NAp ND. 

ND Winze at 31 ft from top. 

ND Winze at 81 ft from top. 

ND Winze at 81 ft from top, hanging 

wall. 

ND Winze at 81 ft from top, footwall. 

No data received. 

ND Winze at 46 ft from top. 

ND West drift. 

ND Do. 



GILPATRICK DIKE: GILPATRICK PROSPECT 



4413 .. . Fel plut, QV . . Random 48 
chip. 

4788 ... QV Grab . . . NAp 

5682A . Fel plut, QV . . Cont 14 
chip. 

5682B. . . .do do 36 



0.04 



14.5 
.54 



.66 



0.6 



830 
3.5 



7.4 



30 



20 <200 



1,060 1,150 
*I9 37 



11 



32 



470 
39 



24 



500 



550 
450 



285 



<2 ND Near portal. 



ND 
<2 



ND Dump. 
1 Adit 34 ft from portal. 



<2 2 Adit 10 ft from portal. 



GILPATRICK DIKE: SHELL PROSPECT 



4404. 

4405 . 

4406 . 
5661 
5662. 
5663. 
5664. 



QV ... 
QV ... 

Fel plut 
QV 

QV . . 
QV 
QV ... 



Grab 
do 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 



NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 



03.9 
<.02 
.04 

ND 
3 .396 
7.1 
10.7 



02.4 
<.2 
<2 
ND 

3.3 

5.1 
13 



5 
10 
ND 
ND 

7 
13 

7 



235 
20 
ND 
ND 
375 
295 
760 



195 
25 
ND 
ND 
115 
210 
150 



200 
ND 
ND 
ND 
2,700 
660 
230 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 



ND Adit dump. 

ND ND. 

ND ND. 

ND Shaft dump. 

ND Do. 

ND Do. 

ND Prospect pit. 



GILPATRICK DIKE: COLORADO PROSPECT 



4398. 
4399. 
4400 
4401 . 
4407. 



Fel plut Grab 

Fel plut, QV . . . .do. 

QV Grab 

Fel plut, QV . . . .do. 

. .do Chip . 



NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
48 



ND 
0.08 
<.02 
<02 
<02 



ND 
5.2 
.2 
.2 
.2 



ND 
10 
ND 
ND 
20 



ND 
1,200 
ND 
ND 
15 



ND 
335 
ND 
ND 
20 



ND 

2,700 

10 

10 

ND 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 



2,800-ft prospect pit. 
2,600-ft prospect pit. 
2,800-ft caved adit. 
2,700-ft prospect pit. 
2,400-ft adit. 



PALMER CREEK DIKE: TEDDY BEAR PROSPECT 



4431 . . Fel plut, QV . . Chip 36 0.14 0.2 5 35 40 500 ND ND ND. 

7156... Fel plut Select NAp 3.117 .2 8 71 51 635 ND ND ND. 

grab. 



PALMER CREEK DIKE: KENAI STAR PROSPECT 



4433 ... Fel plut, QV . . Random 

chip. 

4434 ... Str sed Pan .... 

4435 ... Fel plut, QV . . Random 

chip. 
4451 . . . Str sed Pan ... . 

5473 . . . Metased Grab . . . 

5474 ... QV Chip 

5475 ... QV do 

See explanatory notes at end of table. 



36 

NAp 
NAp 

NAp 



05.1 



<.04 
<05 



02.2 



ND 



ND 



ND 



655 30 ND ND ND Surface. 

ND No Au recovered. 

ND Upper adit. 

ND ND ND ND ND 3 very fine colors Au recovered. 



2 


50 


20 


110 


ND 


ND 


2 


15 


10 


30 


ND 


ND 



MONARCH MINE 



NAp 
5 
4 



<0.03 
3.55 
2 



01.4 
3 
1.8 



100 
25 
41 



19 

7 
110 



ND 17 

ND 1,000 
ND 2,500 



6 
<2 

3 



ND South vein. 
ND Do. 
ND Do. 



62 





Sample 






Au 


Ag Cu Pb Zn 


As 


Mo 


Sb 




Number 1 


Material 2 


Type 2 


Width, 

in 


Other information 


MONARCH MINE— Continued 



5476. 
5477. 
5478. 
5479. 
5480. 
5481 . 
5552. 
5553. 
5554. 
5555. 
5556. 
5557. 
5611 . 
5612. 
5613. 
5614. 
5615. 
5616. 
5617. 
5618. 
5619. 
5620 

5621 

5622 

5623. 

5624 

5625 

5626 

5627 

5629 

5630 

5631 

5632. 

5633. 

5634. 

5635 

5636 

5637 

5638 

5755 



QV .... 
Metased 
..do ... 
..do ... 
QV .... 
QV .... 
QV .... 
QV .... 
Metased 
. .do . . . 
QV ... 
QV .... 
QV .... 
Metased 
do . . . 

. do . . . 

. do . . . 

. do . . . 

. do . . . 
QV .... 
QV .... 
Metased 

. do ... 

QV .... 
QV .... 
Metased 
QV .... 



QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

QV 

Metased, QV 
Metased 

..do 

QV 

Metased 

..do 

Metased, QV 



..do.. 
Grab . 
..do. . 
..do.. 
Chip . . 
..do.. 
..do.. 
..do.. 
..do.. 
..do.. 
..do. . 
Grab . 
Chip . . 
..do.. 
. . do . . 
. . do . . 
do. . 
..do.. 
. . do . . 
..do. . 
..do.. 
. . do . . 

. . do . . 

. do . . 

..do.. 

Grab 

..do.. 

Chip . 

..do.. 

..do.. 

..do.. 

Grab 

Channel 

. do 

Chip 

do 

do 
. do 

do 
Channel 



4 19.5 92 45 27 ND 2,600 <2 ND South vein. 

NAp <.03 2.1 85 18 ND 34 ND ND Do. 

NAp .15 1.6 375 22 ND 34 ND ND Do. 

NAp <.03 .44 770 18 ND 23 ND ND Do. 

18 2.5 2.4 56 16 ND 2,000 3 ND North vein. 

24 1.5 4.6 145 38 ND 2,000 <2 ND Do. 

8 3 2 .53 3.94 32 230 56 13,400 2 ND N45°W vein, 3,500 ft. 
10 .19 .4 170 2 27 159 <2 ND Do. 

4 .03 2.6 2,000 1 56 67 6 ND Hanging wall. 
12 .08 1.2 500 4 74 275 3 ND Footwall. 

15 .25 1.6 160 13 41 480 39 ND Footwall, N1 5 °W vein. 

NAp .04 1.8 145 1 14 45 400 ND Do. 

5 20 5 20 550 400 1,500 ND ND South vein. 
5 <.02 <5 25 10 120 ND ND ND Do. 

5 <.02 <.5 15 15 150 ND ND ND Do. 

9 <.02 <5 20 20 140 ND ND ND Do. 

6 <02 <.5 15 10 140 500 ND ND Do. 
6 .05 .11 21 24 84 420 <2 2 Do. 
6 .06 .07 270 12 59 450 <2 3 Do. 

3 1.2 1.2 2 5 11 520 <2 2 Do. 
2 1.5 4.6 200 11 13 4,550 8 2 Do. 
6 .08 .44 255 13 65 250 <2 3 Do. 

.13 2.4 

6 .46 4.6 410 13 36 127 <2 1 Do. 

5 .75 .88 25 <7 33 2,360 ND ND Do. 

24 31.17 3 84 77 12 91 3,900 ND ND Do. 

NAp .07 <.03 48 15 63 32 ND ND Do. 

NAp .35 .34 43 9 1 1,080 ND ND Do. 

2 <.02 1.2 410 9 44 11 ND ND N-S vein. 

2 9.32 3.1 38 11 32 183 ND ND South vein. 

5 <.02 1.4 390 10 2 156 31 ND N-S vein. 

4 <03 .64 125 5 1 34 12 ND Do. 
NAp <03 .7 320 14 18 41 44 ND Do. 

12 1.06 .45 5 5 1 4,000 <2 ND North vein. 

14 .01 1.2 82 17 63 6,450 <2 ND Do. 

12 .37 135 33 13 65 390 ND ND Do. 

24 .12 1.93 19 12 89 175 ND ND Do. 

12 234 92 54 37 21 4,790 <2 ND Do. 

12 .24 4.6 495 12 31 2,600 34 ND Do. 

12 .33 3.68 385 12 73 2,550 ND ND Do. 

60 .07 3.9 275 8 56 1,290 <2 ND Do. 



JEWEL MINE 



5558 

5559 

5560 

5561 

5562 

5563 

5564. 

5565 

5566 . 

5567 . 
5568. 
7227 
7228 

7251 . 

7252 . 



QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 



Chip 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 

Chip 



Metased . Grab 



QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 
QV 



Chip 
..do 
Grab 
Chip 
Grab 
Spec 



6 
6 
10 
6 
4 
5 
4 
4 

NAp 

3 

15 

NAp 
3 

NAp 

NAp 



30.463 
34.74 
31.08 
1.9 
32.5 
31.66 

3.764 
31.35 
.08 
3.455 
3 1.27 
Trace 
ND 
31.58 
ND 



30.3 

32.1 

3.4 

1.8 

31 

3.95 
3.47 
3.59 

.4 
3.22 

3.41 

ND 
ND 
3.62 
ND 



180 

135 

67 

4 

29 

93 

18 

35 

76 

20 

23 

<10 

<10 

300 

ND 



1,770 

1,000 

465 

37 

980 

5,070 

2,920 

650 

14 

510 

2,700 

<200 

980 

ND 

ND 



1.070 
1.520 

205 
22 

805 
6,250 

970 
1.150 

140 

760 
1,540 

250 

260 
ND 
ND 



10,100 

1,740 

13.200 

14,850 

13,750 

47,300 

203,000 

11,850 

180 

14,300 

30,900 

1,100 

5,300 

ND 

ND 



<2 

ND 
ND 
ND 
<5 
10 
<2 
ND 
ND 
<2 
<2 
<5 
<5 
ND 
ND 



ND 3,450-ft level. 



ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
80 
ND 
ND 
ND 
ND 
80 
80 
ND 
ND 



Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Surface sample. 

Do. 

Do. 
N-S vein. 

Do. 
Bulk sample. 
Portal, 3,450-ft level. 



NAp Not applicable. ND Not determined. 

'Sample numbers referred to in text, illustrations, and other Bureau reports. 

Explanation of abbreviations used: 

Cont chip Continuous chip Pan cone Pan concentrate 

Fel plut Felsic pluton QV Quartz vein 

Maf vole Mafic volcanics Spec Specimen 

Metased Metasedimentary rock Str sed Stream sediment 

including slate and 

quartzite 
3 Ounces per short ton 

"Amount recovered from approximately 50 lb of debris collected from floor of 4,320-ft level by panning and amalgamating the concentrate. 
5 Amount recovered from panning approximately 7 lb of debris collected on 3,260-ft level. 
6 Amount recovered from amalgamating pan concentrate from 7 lb of debris collected in stope. 



INT.-BU.OF MINES,PGH.,PA. 28428 



U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1986 605-017/40109 



U.S. Department of the Interior 
Bureau of Mines— Prod, and Distr. 
Cochrans Mill Road 
P.O. Box 18070 
Pittsburgh. Pa. 15236 



AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 



OFFICIAL BUSINESS 
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. S300 

] Do not wi sh to recei ve thi s 
material, please remove 
from your mailing list. 

] Address change* Please 
correct as indicated* 



WfeS 



--' 



J. • * ^ 



°o. -. 



V 



.O v . " • °- > V * * VL'+ c\ <0 



r - » • 



* <^ 



^ "•TTT»* *,* 



•>•* % ^ 








VV '**. " • » ° A u 

> - £ • * » •>! f\> „ V * 



^K "■• A 




«4°* 













o, *o . » * A 




^ *«..«* »G 




^°^ 













^o^ . 



*v ' 












V^ 







.4 c?. 






V " 1 .V 

"• °- //^5i.% ^*itik°<> ^smkS <? *^m;S A^\ y 





i- 




> 



^ a0 o 1 

^ A* *j!th$hL° *t ^ •> 
















°, ^^ "Jill: **# 



> « « • o, "^-v 4> 






»* A 










^ °^ '°°'' J A <. */TvT* .G v ^ 



G v ^. *o . » * A <. 




,f 




^0^ 




'bK 



^6* 



4> c o •"» 



'bV" 




v^-v V % ^/ %^^\^ V*^'/ ^/ 

% ^*iMk°* J's^kS <?4mk>* J'^kS c 




** A^ 









•°* ••^.^ 











"••'• ^ 











c.5 ^ 






W 













■0 % t 




*^ 



■y ^ 





h^ 








^% ''■% 















^^ * 







^\ 







,^ ^ 




<$ ^ 



^ A 



,^ °> 







. -^ 














• « ° a° «5> **/•>• .-?y 



^' 



•-.\. >° v ,^^-,°- ^ 4 V^<-\ f-ia&S s*.-$&X **.>£*.% 




^0^ 



^ /*: \S Sim-, v ^» V ;to V * V A 



% \ ^<.^^X C°^i^^°o >^,^>A. A.^.%%' ^.!« 



- "^ rS 








<> V -T; s 5 6*- To, '0-.7*' A 





>x A 



i v « * • 







<? 






•oV" 










' A. V ^ - 

















-o . » * A ^ 



• ^ 







G v ^s 'o 







LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 955 938 7 



' I V > 



m 






